Turning the Tide
by DanniCat
Summary: Harry becomes doubtful of Dumbledore's side of the war. Things are no longer how he remembers them. When he listens to Draco's side of the story how will his own path change? Dark(ish)!Harry Slash! TR/HP Currently in Beta to improve quality! :)
1. A New Point of View

**I am currently going through and editing this story for cohesiveness and other flaws in hopes of posting a sequel in the near future. Any suggestions are welcome!**

Harry fell back into his chair after leaving the pensieve. He was vaguely aware of Dumbledore's words echoing around the room. Talking on about how Tom Riddle had been breaking the rules and torturing others from a young age. Dumbledore making it sound as though Tom was destined to go dark, had been dark, from a young age.

But he barely heard any of it. All of the sudden he understood Riddle's words from all those years ago. Standing with him in the Chamber of Secrets. They were similar. Scarily similar, but they had turned out to be complete opposites, or so Dumbledore was claiming. Harry could not help the way his mind drifted back over the past year. His thoughts, his actions, his dreams and nightmares.

Everything Ron and Hermione had twittered about had annoyed him. His temper was increasingly short when dealing with anyone who was biased against something, anything. Ginny's annoying attempts at flirting were just that. He could not count the number of times she just happened to appear on his path to his next class, making out with her current boyfriend (or boy toy, depending on who you asked). It wasn't even subtle about it.

Neville was thankfully being decent and was actually fun to hang out with, but he rarely could. Ron and Hermione would appear and whine about…something, before dragging Harry away with them. The only thing he really enjoyed at the moment was that he was passing potions with flying colors, much to everyone's dismay. Well that and the fact he wasn't at the Dursley's. Plus the time he-

Harry's eyes and thoughts whipped up to look at the headmaster as the man cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sir. I guess I was lost in thought." Harry looked down at his knees feigning embarrassment and avoiding eye contact. Two birds. One stone.

He caught the headmaster's understanding smile, "Of course, my boy. I was merely wondering about your reaction to this memory. Any thoughts? Questions?"

"Sir…" Harry hesitated, this go really well or really badly, "I guess I was just wondering if you really find his reaction to be that unreasonable. You did after all choose to set all of his possessions on fire."

Dumbledore's eyes widened before he gave Harry a stern look, "It was a fake fire, Harry. Nothing was ruined or even threatened. Even if they had been, those items were stolen goods, they did not belong in his possession."

"They were stolen from his tormentors, sir."

"Used to commemorate acts of violence. And stolen none the less. Besides- those items were small and of little value. I doubt he would have had much difficulty replacing them at any muggle store."

Harry sat there for a moment, doing his best to prevent from gaping and to swallow his anger.

Not noticing this, Dumbledore continued on, "Now I assume you will need some time to process all that you have seen tonight. I will send a note your way to inform you of our next meeting."

Unable to believe the headmaster, Harry finally grounded himself enough to protest the ending of the meeting. But Dumbledore was having none of it.

A burnt hand was raised and there was no room for argument in the man's tone, "Good night. Harry."

Tucking his chin slightly, Harry swallowed, "Good night, sir."

And Harry managed to leave the office without giving in to the desire to slam the door behind him.

(0,0)

Harry awoke the next morning form a short a fitful sleep filled with nightmares of his little cupboard going up in flames. Although it was far earlier than he would usually wake, the sun not even brushing the window sill, Harry slipped on some clean clothes and padded barefoot down to the common room.

He slid down to the floor with a sigh and settled on the soft rug, leaning back against the couch in front of the fire. Without a moment's rest, his thoughts were once again on the memory he had seen last night. Some things struck him as odd about the memory and he wished Hermione was here to help in sort them out. He knew she would be up soon enough, he just had to get his thoughts as sorted as possible before then.

First on the list were the questions that the memory had raised. Riddle had been a muggle-raised wizard much as Harry had been. But unlike Harry, he was introduced to magic and Hogwarts through a wizard. Who happened to be a professor at said school and a head of house at the time. Harry, the supposed destroyer of the Dark Lord, was greeted by thousands of letters before eventually meeting a half-giant who had been expelled and at the time was a grounds keeper. Not that Harry didn't love Hagrid, but still…

Then there were the problems Harry had found with the memory and Dumbledore's methods.

Dumbledore had proven his magic to Tom by setting the orphan boy's possessions on fire. What happened to casting a Patronus or even transfiguring the bed? Hell, he could have conjured a blanket or two and Tom would probably have willingly believed him. And been grateful to boot, Harry certainly would have been. _Then,_ Dumbledore had allowed the boy to go shopping by himself, in London, as an eleven year old. Plus he was expected to just show up at King's Cross on the first.

It was simply ridiculous! Sure, Tom may have said he could handle it, but he was _eleven._

This brought Harry's thoughts around to after leaving the memory. And Dumbledore's non-chalant reaction to what he had done. The man had no idea what it was like to own just enough possessions, that you could call your own, to barely cover the bottom of a shoebox. To have someone threaten that… to threaten everything that made you, you. It was threatening your life, your happiness, everything you had worked to achieve.

He remembered the few treasures that still sat in the drawer of the small dresser in his room. The broken and forgotten toys that he had stolen from Dudley and hidden in his little cupboard. Harry snorted lightly as a thought occurred to him, in some ways Tom had a better childhood then Harry.

The only difference the Gryffindor could see was that Harry had eventually gained friends and family who cared for him. The Weasley's, Hermione, and even Gryffindor. Eventually he added Sirius and Remus to his crazy collection of family, if only for a short while. Then Riddle had to go and take them away too.

Of course, Riddle wasn't the one Harry really blamed for that. Bellatrix got all of the credit for that horrible time in Harry's life and most of the moments since. And she would feel just horrible if she had to share that notoriety. And Harry just hated to make anyone upset. Harry snickered into his knees at the amount of sarcasm he could project into his own thoughts.

Those were the only real differences though, well their parents might be one as well, but Harry couldn't really be sure about that one. Not yet anyway.

He spent a little longer rolling over those thoughts in his head. He was interrupted some time later by a gentle hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw it was Hermione giving him a small smile as a greeting, obviously unsure as to why someone else was in the common room at this ungodly hour. He shifted slightly and patted the ground next to him. Hermione accepted the invitation as wordlessly as it was given and settled next to him.

The sound of the crackling fire kept them company for a few moments while Harry tried to refocus his thoughts. The few seconds lead into a long moment of silence that seem to stretch on until Harry finally opened his mouth to share some of the thoughts racing through his head.

"How did you find out about Hogwarts?"

She looked confused by the topic choice, but answered him with only a little hesitation, "I got a letter announcing I was accepted at a boarding school designed to assist people with further developing their unique talents and abilities. It said that a representative would be around at this time and date to talk to us about the opportunity. A few days later Professor Sprout showed up with my letter and explained everything to me and my parents." She shrugged, "Why?"

Harry frowned, "I didn't. I got over a hundred copies of the same letter. When I didn't get them, or didn't read them, or reply to them anyway, Hagrid came with a copy. I was so lost in the Wizarding World. Apparently I was famous and they sent a half-giant without a wand to introduce me and protect me. I would have never gotten into Diagon Alley if Hagrid hadn't been sent. And the first thing he did was drag me into a pub and tell me I was famous and Voldemort was evil.

"Could you imagine if I had been forced to go alone? How would I have gotten my supplies? I didn't even have a key to my Gringott's vault. Hagrid didn't even wait around long enough to tell me how to get onto the platform."

Hermione thought about what he said for a moment before speaking, "They could have thought your Aunt and Uncle would tell you about magic and Hogwarts. You said they knew, and we know your aunt knew. Maybe there were directions in the other letters telling you how to get to Diagon and even the platform. If not- well, I love Hagrid, but you know how forgetful he can be at the best of times. I think you're probably just over thinking it."

Harry nodded, not entirely convinced, but willing to concede that it was possible.

"What brought this on anyway?"

He wasn't sure how she would react but he had to tell someone, "The lessons Dumbledore is giving me. He showed me a memory of the first time he met Tom Riddle. I guess it just got me thinking about our similar childhoods. And the ways that we're different."

"Harry. We've been over this. You and Voldemort are very different people. You rose above your past and you could care less about the pureblood versus halfblood versus blood traitor versus muggle born. You are not a power hungry maniac. You are a two very different people."

"Hermione? Don't take this as a dumb question, but… I really am curious-How do we know that Tom is a 'power hungry maniac'?"

She frowned at him, "Isn't it obvious? After everything he's done and everything we've heard about him and his so called mission. The facts all point to the fact that he is a maniac out to take over the world and shape it in his own image of the 'perfect society,' how is that not power hungry?"

He shook his head, no longer making eye contact and instead tracing the flames in front of them, "If that's true, then it's all hearsay. What if Tom is just trying to change things for the better. It's like any way. People all fight based on what they believe is right. Who are we to say who is right and wrong? I mean, if Tom wins this war he's going to go down in history as the person who evaded death to fight for what was 'good' and 'right'."

"You're talking nonsense! _Voldemort_ is killing innocent people!"

Harry nodded and let the subject drop. Although he could not help but think of all the innocent people who were probably Kissed, killed, or rotting in Azkaban. The two friends sat in silence as their house mates woke and made their way to breakfast, waiting until Ron came down the stairs.

His face worked into a frown as he saw his two friends leaning on each other. Harry stood at the sight and helped Hermione to her feet before he summoned his shoes and his book bag so they could head down to eat. He listened to Ron complain about everything from quills breaking to quidditch to waking early to homework to Snape. And somehow Snape was responsible for all of the above.

"Ron! He's still a teacher show at least a little respect. You're a prefect for goodness sakes, at least set a good example." Hermione scolded him.

Ron made a show of rolling his eyes as he led the way to their usual seats at the Gryffindor table. Harry laughed at his friends' antics freely for a moment before Hermione's glare forced him to try and choke it back. Hermione said something else but Harry found himself distracted by the sight of a Slytherin student shoving his way through pack of Ravenclaws. Soon enough the teen was lost in his thoughts.

That seemed to be happening rather often lately. The Gryffindor would be distracted by an anecdote, or a flash of color, or a random word and suddenly he would be pondering questions he had never thought to ask before. He tried to shut the thoughts down, ignore where they were leading. But after those memories he saw- After Dumbledore's reactions- Harry was interested in what he would come up with.

Today he let his mind wander. He briefly touched all of the thoughts he had tried to ignore before.

_'What if I had let the Hat sort me into Slytherin?'_

_'What if Draco and I were friends?'_

_'What if…?'_

So far Harry's mind had only come up with the idea that he would have friends that supported Voldemort over Dumbledore. Maybe Snape wouldn't have been as cruel to him and maybe Dumbledore wouldn't have been as open with him. But no matter what he still would have been the Chosen One. And he still would have been the son of James Potter. He really doubt very much would have changed in his life.

Maybe he could have known both sides of the war if he had been sitting with the snakes. He let his eyes wander and found himself watching as they playfully shoved each other when they thought no one was looking at them. If nothing else he would understand the children's loyalties. He would understand whether they _chose _to take the Dark Mark or if it was their only choice.

Not for the first time Harry found himself regretting the moment he pushed the hat to sort him into Gryffindor.

"I wonder what it's like being a Slytherin…"

His non sequitur caused half of the table to abandon their conversation in favor of listening in to the Golden Trio. And Harry winced at that realization- He never meant to say that out loud.

Ron's fork paused halfway to his mouth, "Why do you care?"

His mouth was still partially fully of food. Seeing Ron's partially chewed breakfast cause Harry's already small appetite to disappear completely.

"I guess, I sort of empathize with them. After all it's them against the rest of the school, most of the professors will even turn against them given the chance. The only one who's usually fair to them is McGonagall and really only Snape ever favors them."

"Your point? Look, mate, their evil, worthless Death Eater spawn. There's a reason the school is against them. They obviously have dark intentions. That's why they're Slytherins. We were put in Gryffindor as proof that we're the ones who need to stand against them."

Harry coughed to hide the sudden bought of laughter that filled him. That was quite possibly one of the most ironic statements Ron would never know he made.

"Although Ron's wording was less than tasteful- he has a point. They were placed in Slytherin because the hat saw something dark and dangerous in them." Hermione put in her own opinion and Harry lost all concept of amusement in an instant.

"That's funny, I don't remember the Sorting Hat mentioning that the key Slytherin trait is 'evil git, who is loyal to the Dark Lord Voldemort and plotting how to rule the world,' I have no idea how I missed that…" He rolled his eyes to add emphasis to his sarcasm before picking up an orange and tediously attempting to remove the peel in a single piece.

Hermione glared at him, obviously not appreciating his sarcasm, "Be that as it may, the Slytherin's have closed themselves off from the rest of the houses. They are no more willing to accept us then we are to accept them." Clearly thinking she had sufficiently closed the subject, she turned back to her breakfast.

Knowing that they were never going to listen to him, Harry continued peeling his orange. He felt eyes looking at him and turned his own gaze towards the head table. Sure enough three sets of eyes were staring in his direction. Dumbledore looked as though his favorite had just been torn from his hands, although he quickly covered it up with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes and a wink. A quick glance toward Professor McGonagall showed her sitting tall and looking proudly over at the Gryffindor table. But what really drew his eye was the almost smile that was covering Snape's lips.

Even as the man listened intently to whatever the Headmaster was telling him, his eyes never left Harry's. There was a long moment where they merely looked at each other before the man gave Harry the tiniest of nods and turned his full attention to the man beside him. By the time the professors had all turned back to their own meals, Harry could not help but wonder if and how they had known what he was talking to his friends about.

Hermione sent him several suspicious glances as they finished their food so Harry decided to avoid any conversations tied to Slytherin for the rest of the day. When the trio had finished their meals they stood from the table and headed off to their first class.

(0,0)

After that, classes went by as usual. Well. Except for Defense.

Harry was sitting at his usual seat not paying attention to Snape, he already knew this spell, anyway, when said man called him out. Expecting to lose points, Harry was reluctant to listen to his professor, but was surprised when the man merely asked for him to demonstrate the spell albeit in a snarky, sarcastic way.

Performing the spell, Harry waited for the reprimand to follow. A hit on his fame, unwanted as it was, the word lucky thrown it and a correction of his practically flawless technique. Followed by the expected loss of points. Imagine everyone's surprise when-

"It appears, Mr. Potter, that you have finally found something that you are nearly decent at."

-Was Snape's only remark before he turned with a flourish and moved back towards the front ot the classroom. Of course, that shocked silence was nothing compared to the one that followed the airy remark-

"Oh. And five points to Gryffindor."

-That was thrown over his shoulder. The room went from quieter than usual to dead silence in a heartbeat. The silence was broken first by a book that fell from Hermione's hands and Neville nearly falling out of his seat before diligently turning back to practicing the wand movement. The Slytherins, on the other hand looked betrayed. Harry sat petrified with shock as the man turned to stand in front of his desk facing the classroom.

Compared to that the rest of the day was exceedingly normal and boring. Well as much as it could be for a school that taught magic, anyway. By the time dinner had rolled around all anyone could talk about was the points that Snape had awarded and taken during the day. Snape had apparently decided to make a statement and whatever the statement was, it was very effective.

That day the snarky, greasy, defense professor had given Gryffindor 20 points, Hufflepuff had earned ten themselves, Ravenclaw had been awarded 25, and Slytherin had barely achieved the lead with 30 points. The Snakes had even _lost_ points at the hand of the Potions Master. Not enough to even dent their emeralds, but _still_.

Harry wasn't sure what had brought this around but felt that it helped him show that not all Slytherins were evil gits. Just some of them. Harry was debating bringing it up, just to prove a point, but decided it probably wouldn't be worth it. Which was when Hermione helpfully brought it up for him.

"For goodness sakes, Harry! One good day does not make up for the last six years!"

"No. It doesn't." Hermione looked at him in shock, clearly she hadn't been expecting that, "But it does prove that he is not quite the same person we always thought."

Hermione sighed, "He's a Slytherin, Harry. He'll do good things if it helps him in the long run."

Harry cocked his head to the side, "How does giving points today help Snape in any shape or form? And if it does, why today and not every day or any day since the start of term?"

"Well it… Of course, it… I… Fine. I don't know. But I'm sure that it does. It probably only makes sense to Slytherins anyway." Was her very non-Hermione retort.

"Mate." Ron cut in after taking a drink of his pumpkin juice, "If you really think that they are willing to change. Why don't you just go over there and offer an apology to Malfoy?"

The words were definitely meant to be a challenge. Ron was trying to get Harry to admit that he was wrong or at least just joking. But the idea stirred something in Harry.

"Maybe I should. Offer him that friendship I turned down all those years ago. At least it will give him a good laugh. But who knows, maybe he'll accept."

Ron started laughing, "I was kidding, mate. But, hey, if you want to go ahead." He choked down another bite of food, "Hey! IIf he says 'yes' I'll dye my hair green!"

Harry grinned, that was too good of an offer to turn down, "Deal."

Ron laughed again, "Wait, if he says 'no' you dye yours."

"Fine by me."

That said, Harry stood and Ron turned back to his dinner, still chuckling softly to himself. Walking over to the Slytherin table seemed to be gossip worthy, judging by the whispers in the hall anyway. Harry was more than willing to confront the blonde, but at the same time, he was more than a little apprehensive.

If the blonde turned him down then he basically lost all hope of ever convincing his friends that the Slytherins deserved a chance. In the meantime, he also had a favor to ask of the blonde, so hopefully this would give him an opportunity to ask about that. By the time Harry had made it over to the Slytherin table, stopping behind Malfoy, the entire Hall had gone silent. Everyone knew about their rivalry and were very interested to see the inevitable fight.

"Potter." The blonde greeted him with a dry tone, never taking his eyes from his plate.

"Malfoy." Harry made sure his own greeting sounded cordial and that seemed to catch Malfoy's attention as he turned to look up at Harry.

"What tempted you to come grace the snakes with your… esteemed presence?" The tone was sarcastic, but Harry could see the curiosity brimming the grey eyes.

"A bet that I just couldn't refuse if you can believe that."

"And this be has to do with me how?"

"Before we get to that, I want to say that I am genuinely sorry for all of the crap I've done and said to you over the years. I have to admit that was not very Gryffindor of me. Second, I want to as you if your offer from before our Sorting still stands? Or if you're at least willing to accept a truce of sorts?"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Draco sounded wary and Harry couldn't blame him.

"Let's just say I was inspired by a former Hogwarts student and an ex-potions professor. Besides," Harry leaned in closer to Malfoy and continued in a whisper, "If you agree, Ron is stuck with green hair until he can find a counter charm."

Malfoy grinned, all trace of hesitation gone, "Why didn't you start with that in the first place?" So saying, Malfoy stood and accepted Harry's hand.

"Thank you, Malfoy. I'll try and make sure you don't regret this."

Malfoy turned slightly and frowned, "I won't so long as Weasley receives the humiliation that I was promised and he is currently attempting to escape."

Harry smirked, "Can't have that now can we." With a muttered charm Ron's hair turned Slytherin green.

"Come now, Potter, surely you can do better than that?" Harry grinned and cast off another charm that dyed parts of his hair a bright neon green.

Malfoy sighed, shaking his head, "It looks like I will have to teach you."

Malfoy raised his wand and flicked his hand at the ex-ginger, whose hair suddenly was layered with every different shade of green imaginable. It was hideous. The two new friends found themselves laughing along with the entirety of the Great Hall as Ron's face turned bright crimson, clashing horribly with his green hair. Ron's face was priceless as a giggling Hermione transfigured a mirror for him. The boy glared at his laughing housemates as he ran from the Hall.

(0,0)

A sulking Ron and a lecture from Hermione forced Harry to escape from the common room and find a place away from the rest of the school who seemed to once again be against him. Despite the fact they had all found it hilarious when it had happened.

He sighed and kicked a wall in a useless attempt to get rid of his anger. Walking, searching for someplace, he found the Room of Requirement was occupied. He guessed it probably Draco Malfoy, but he couldn't confirm that because the stupid room wouldn't show him, much less let him in. Sneaking off to a classroom just down the hall, Harry decided to make the best of what he had.

Harry put up a silencing charm and began taking his frustration out on the furniture and supplies found in the classroom. Two hours later curfew cut his anger management session short. Cursing himself for forgetting to grab his cloak, he set about fixing his mess.

When the room was mostly presentable Harry removed the silencing charm and stepped out into the hallway. Casting a quick tempus Harry noticed that there was no way he was going to get back to the Tower on time. Harry dropped his forehead against the wall letting out a groan.

"Having fun, Potter?"

Harry felt his shoulders slouch eve more and looked up from under his messy fringe. A few feet away from him, leaning against the wall, was one tall, blonde, Slytherin boy. Harry hoped that Malfoy would remember their so called truce from dinner.

"Not really. You?"

Malfoy shrugged, "Not as much as I would like to be."

The Slytherin apparently decided not to attack and stood to walk away. Harry pushed himself upright and brushed his hair back from his forehead. It worked for about a second before it all flopped in his face again.

"You coming?"

Malfoy's voice startled the Gryffindor. Blushing, Harry shrugged and moved away from the wall after the blonde.

"So. What is the great Harry Potter doing out so late?"

"What is the junior Malfoy doing in the Room of Requirement?"

"…You do realize that it is rude to answer a question with a question, right?"

"I'm sure you've realized by now, that I don't care. Besides, you did it as well."

"I thought we were friends, Potty?" Malfoy stuck his lip out in a fake pout.

Harry laughed, "I haven't hexed you yet, have I?"

The blonde thought it over for a moment before conceding, "Point."

By this time, they had reached the grand staircase and Malfoy nodded at Harry before turning to head down to the dungeons..

"Hey, Malfoy?"

Draco sighed, "Yes, Potter?"

"You know how there is a Hogsmeade weekend coming up?"

Grey eyes turned cautious as he turned to look back at the Gryffindor, "Yes."

"I was wondering if we could meet up for lunch? There's a couple of things that I want to ask you about."

"Why can't we talk about them now?"

"Because the paintings can hear every word that we are saying."

Draco nodded once, "Alright, fine. Where and when?"

"Hog's head? 1 o'clock?"

"Don't be late."

With that Draco walked off to the dungeons and Harry continued on his way to the Tower. For once Harry made it back without any problems and slipped up the stairs and into his bed. Hopefully he would have all of the answers he needed after talking with the young Malfoy. With a sigh, Harry rolled over and snuggled into his pillows. He closed his eyes and drifted off thinking about all of the homework he still had to do.

(0,0)

Harry was just as surprised as everyone else when he ran in late to Defense a few days later and merely got a sneer from their professor. Harry hoped that whatever was putting Snape in such a good mood decided to never leave. Of course, since he was late there was only one seat open and Harry was very glad that he and Malfoy had called a truce.

As he slid into the empty space beside the blonde, he was relieved to see the other boy's small nod and tight smile in his direction. Some of the things that had happened between them would probably stand between them for a long time to come, but Harry was not going to complain.

Over all the class went fairly well. Several of the other students (Gryffindors and Slytherins alike) kept throwing glances at the two boys, but they were able to focus on the lecture. And that all came to an end when Snape told them to practice their shield charms with their partners.

Harry _hated_ working with partners. They all either treated him like glass or threw too much power behind their spells in an attempt to defeat the Boy-Who-Lived, resulting in uncontrollable magic flying around the room. On their rare occasion he worked with a decent partner (Read: Neville, Hermione, or Ron), they expected to get beaten and kind of gave up within the first few minutes.

As he stood up with Malfoy he was expecting the uncontrolled magic type of partner. When Harry cast his shield he was surprised to be faced with a nearly perfect diffindo. Harry's shield shuddered, but refused to break. He pushed a little more energy behind the spell, a grin breaking across his face. Rather than treating Harry as the Boy-Who-Lived, Malfoy was treating him as a classmate in an exercise. He could get used to this.

Four spells from the blonde later and Harry's shield cracked, Draco didn't hesitate. He cast one last spell and shattered Harry's defense. With a grin, Harry nodded to the Slytherin and took a stance waiting for the blonde's shield to go up. The instant the spell was cast, Harry threw three consecutive spells in Malfoy's direction. The first one shook his shield, pressing the blonde back a few steps. The second coated the shield in orange before it cracked, the final spell found Malfoy trapped in a leg-locker curse.

The blonde nodded at Harry, acknowledging his broken shield. Apparently the leg locker curse, went unnoticed by Malfoy. When he went to cast again the Slytherin found himself face first on the ground. He glared up at Harry, who was currently doubled over in laughter, before ending the spell, taking stance and waiting for Harry to cast his shield.

After about twenty minutes of practice, Snape called the class back to attention. And as Harry slid back into his seat next to the slightly disheveled blonde, he thought that he finally had the chance to learn with someone who treated him as an equal.

(0,0)

As the week passed, Harry found himself getting more and more excited about the lunch with Malfoy. He already had a list of questions in his pocket, just in case he needed it to get Malfoy talking. He had a plan on how to ditch his friends and meet up with the Slytherin.

Finally the day came and Harry spent nearly an hour trying to find something to wear that would look slightly appropriate for the meeting and would put Ron and Hermione on the right(wrong) track.

Harry eventually ended up in a green button up shirt, black jeans, and a simple black jacket thrown over top. He figured it was plain enough to be his everyday close, but nice enough to say he put some thought into it. For once he was glad that Hermione had insisted on taking him shopping, even though it still felt strange to be wearing clothes that fit.

As he walked down the stairs into the common room he was met by a gleeful Hermione and a bug-eyed Ron.

"Harry, you look great!" Hermione squealed, "I told you shopping would be worth it."

"Yes you did. And yes, you were right."

"Mate, what did you do to Harry Potter? Have you seen him? He's a specky eyed git who wears clothes that are fall off of him and-Ow." Ron cut off as Hermione smacked the back of his head and Harry started laughing.

"Very funny, Ron. You guys ready to go?"

The trio left the common room and headed down to the entrance hall to meet with the other Hogsmeade bound students. When everyone had signed out with McGonagall the small group headed down the path and into the village. After raiding Zonko's and Honeyduke's they stopped to pick up owl treats and something for Crookshanks.

Eventually they ended up sitting at their usual table in the Three Broomsticks with three butter beers talking about absolutely nothing. Harry glanced down at his watch, he took a deep breath in preparation. Time to go.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go. I'm meeting someone in about ten minutes over at Puddifoot's. I'll see you guys back in the common room tonight?"

Hermione jumped on it, "I knew you dressed up for a reason! You have to give us all of the details when you get back!"

"I won't." Harry smirked a little, "But I'll meet you guys back at the castle before dinner, alright?"

"If you're sure, we could always come bail you out if you wanted…" Ron trailed off under Hermione's glare.

Harry smiled and shook his head, "Nah, I'm looking forward to this actually."

Ron's disbelieving look was clear as he watched Harry check his watch again.

"Seriously guys, I'll be fine. I have a back-up plan if I need to get away. Either way I'll be up at the castle for dinner."

Without waiting for another argument Harry turned from the table and walked down the street. Turning several corners to make sure that his friends were not following him, he soon found himself in front of Hog's Head two minutes until he agreed to meet Malfoy. Walking into the Hog's Head was as disconcerting as always.

He grabbed a table and waited for the blonde to come in. He got several dirty looks from the man behind the bar but did not have to wait long before he saw Malfoy walking in. Malfoy's eyes searched the room, coming to a rest on the empty seat across from Harry. They began with small talk, hoping to shake off any unwanted listeners. Harry got them something to drink and half an hour later, they escaped from the pub and headed towards the Shrieking Shack. That was when Malfoy finally decided that they were far enough away and he had enough small talk. He turned to face Harry.

"Alright, Potter. We've done the whole friendly conversation thing, now what did you want to ask me?"

"Malfoy." Harry admonished him, "As if I would not find a conversation such as this worthy of spending time with you."

Malfoy merely raised an eyebrow.

"You wound me." Harry gave him what he considered a very affective pout.

Rolling his eyes, the blond smirked at Harry's efforts, "Drop it, Potter."

"Fine." Harry folded his arms and huffed until Malfoy gave a small laugh, "I seriously don't think that you will want to talk about it, but these are things that I think I really need to here."

"I can't answer if you don't ask, Potter."

"What can you tell me about the goals and purpose behind Voldemort's regime?"

The blonde shook his head and looked at Harry, blinking as if trying to process what he had just heard, "What?"

I need to understand what Voldemort wants to get out of this war. It doesn't seem fair to me that I have to fight in this war, much less that I have to fight for the light side, when I don't understand the other side. I want to know why I'm fighting, or if I should even be fighting."

The Slytherin spent a moment in silence, just looking at the Gryffindor Golden Boy. The question were swirling through his mind as he looked at the supposed Savior. As the two boys watched each other the blonde found himself looking into honest green eyes. Suddenly, he was talking. Some of the words Harry had heard before, but as the pureblood continued he found himself more and more interested in what the Death Eater had to say.

By the time the older boy had run out of words, the sun was sitting low in the sky. Harry had no words to describe what he was going through. There were more questions and new ideas filling his mind and he had no way to process them. He shook his head, temporarily trying to clear his mind.

"Thank you, Malfoy."

"Draco. I've told you enough that you could probably get me convicted or sent to Azkaban if you tried."

"Harry, then. I'll… I think I need to sleep on all of this. It's a lot to take in."

Draco shrugged, "I figured you would. Do you want to walk back together, or should I just leave?"

"I'm ready to head back, if you are."

The former enemies, now tentative friends, followed the well-worn path back to the school in companionable silence. Both lost in their own thoughts and what this truce could mean for the future of their world.

**Edit: 9/28/2015**


	2. Chapter 2

Well I got a lot more views than I expected so let's see where the story goes, shall we? First off, thanks to all of the helpful reviews about my story- especially about the mistakes I make! Oh and just so you know I changed the timeline with Harry getting Slughorn's memory before the holidays. It fits the story better for my purposes.

Harry met his friends for dinner, where Hermione asked him how his date went. Looking at the glint in her eyes Harry decided that honesty would be the best option at the moment.

"It wasn't actually a date. I met up with Malfoy to talk at the Hog's Head, then we walked over to the Shrieking Shack." Harry shrugged as he began eating his meal.

Hermione looked a little upset at his confession and Harry figured he was right in assuming they went to Puddifoot's to see who he was meeting. Thanking his foresight to send them somewhere else he decided to be gracious and ignore the fact that they were spying on him. Ron looked incredibly thoughtful, which was disturbing in itself, and was taking small bites of his food, which worried Harry to no end. Harry nudged Hermione before glancing pointedly at Ron. When she noticed his unusual behavior she gave Harry a small shake of her head, she had no idea what was going through the boy's mind. As Hermione glanced at the boy Harry wondered at the fact that Ron's hair was still undeniably green. Apparently Hermione was refusing to help him, under the pretence of teaching him a lessson, so here they were two weeks later and his hair was still undeniably green.

"Er...Ron?" Hermione looked concernedly at her best friend.

The Gryffindor looked up from his plate, "What's up?"

"Ummm..." Hermione bit her lip, unsure of how to say what she was thinking.

Harry laughed, "Hermione's confused about your sudden interest in table manners. "

Hermione scowled in his direction and Ron looked down at his plate, "No. No. Just thinking..."

And with that Ron turned back to his food. Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance before deciding that Ron would tell them when he was ready and nothing they could say would drag it out of him. Harry chatted with Neville and Seamus and they talked about values of Herbology versus Charms; although, as Neville pointed out, Seamus was likely to blow something up no matter the class. Eventually dessert disappeared from teh table and everyone got up to migrate back to their dorms for the evening.

(0,0)

After playing (and losing) several games of chess with Ron, Harry decided to call it a night. Crawling into his bed he set the usual silencing charms without much thought and pulled the curtains closed. As he was laying there drifting closer to sleep he could not help thinking about the discussion with Malfoy earlier in the day. Before Malfoy had even begun talking he had asked Harry to take an oath of secrecy that he would not tell anyone about what Draco was saying, Harry nodded and took the oath.

"Now, I'm only going to give you the basics of it all, don't need you to go running off to Dumbledore knowing everything about the Dark Lord and his followers.

"First of all we all do believe in blood purity, partially because of the power that we all possess is stronger when it comes from blood, although that is not always the case. I believe that the Dark Lord began this case because of the heinous crimes that muggles have committed against anyone who is different from them. The other thing is that he does not really think that all mudbloods need to die, he used to but not anymore, he is just afraid of what will happen when too many muggles know about magic.

"He has this plan that basically removes the term 'Dark' from the ministry. Taking the Dark Arts and making them something to be understood rather than feared, for how can you fight something you do not know. Many creatures have been ostracized by the wizarding world for things outside of their control. I believe that the Dark Lord wants to bring knowledge to the world, after all knowledge is the greatest power there is.

"He was also hoping to balance out the two worlds by placing muggles in the homes of families who can't have children, or who are willing to house them. This way the children will not have to worry about being mistreated by their families, of course he's not asking them to leave entirely if they want to meet their birth families they are more than welcome to establish contact. I think he is really trying to prevent the muggles from learning about us and hurting us, individually or in a genocide of sorts."

They talked for a little longer but Malfoy refused to go into much more detail than that. Harry had changed tactics after several unanswered or avoided questions. He turned to questions about Voldemort himself.

"I think to an extent time has been unkind to him and there are days when the Death Eaters hardly recognize him. None of his plans have changed but some of his methods are becoming too much for many of us to handle. Some of the others believe that he will become more bearable once he has achieved his goals, and taken control. In all honesty, I'm not so sure. I hope that he will and I know that he does have periods of sanity where he acts more like he did when Father began with him. In the end I think that everything comes down to who lives to tell the story..."

As Harry replayed the conversation he began thinking about what he had learned. The Dark Lord seemed to have lost touch with reality and his mission, maybe just maybe he could find it again. To Harry's immense disappointment the words that Malfoy had given him had only made things that much harder to understand. The idea of living in a world that was so afraid of the 'evil' that they hid it away scared him. After all without the knowledge of what it is, how are people supposed to stand against it. Then again, the idea of living under the rule of a psychotic Lord was even more frightening. Harry groaned and rolled over in his bed, how was he supposed to decide his path now? As the night began to fade Harry decided to let his future remain a mystery and let his mind fade from thoughts to dreams.

(0,0)

As the weeks passed by and the school year came closer to the holidays Harry found himself spending more and more time with Draco and the Slytherins. He had discovered that most of the Slytherins were very much not interested in what Harry was supposed to do with his life. Harry never accepted the invitations to go back to the Slytherin common room, but that was just a precaution. It became a usual sight to see the Chosen One sitting with his Slytherin classmates in the library, next to the lake, or even in the Great Hall. Not everyone approved of his sudden camaraderie with the snakes, in fact most people did not. Yet, after a few seventh year Gryffindors, who thought it would be funny to attack Harry in the hallway, found themselves in the infirmary- Harry found fewer glares pointed in his direction.

Although Dumbledore seemed to disapprove of Harry's actions he turned a blind eye and continued to share memories with the boy, and gave Harry a mission to retrieve a memory from Slughorn. With every memory Harry's discomfort grew. He had no idea how this Tom fit with the snake called Voldemort. Although the Slytherin cunning was there and active, some of his actions spoke of someone who was desperate. A boy who turned to the headmaster every chance he got to escape from the horrors he faced in his life, and he was turned away every time. How could Harry hate kill someone who had already suffered so much in his life? No, Tom was not a kind hearted soul. He had made some terrible choices and they resulted in a cursed life that he was currently living.

As Harry faced the end of the term and the upcoming holidays, he could not help but wonder about the poor little orphan boy from the memories. With the reports of attacks that covered the Prophet and the memories of one Tom Riddle, Harry was on a roller coaster of emotions. Which was right, which was wrong. And how was Harry supposed to decide, especially since the victory could lie solely with the side he chose. The pressure was getting to him. The lack of sleep was beginning to show in the form of bruises under his eyes. Food became something to be contemplated over rather than something that was eaten. In more ways than one he and Draco resembled each other. Harry often brought up Draco's need to sleep but the blond alway responded the same, a small shake of his head and a change in the topic.

(0,0)

Harry had finally succeeded in retrieving the memory from Slughorn and was currently walking towards the Headmaster's office to see the details of the memory the old professor had tried so desperately to conceal. Of course, Harry had gone to great lengths to get the memory, but he could not help but wonder what made this particular memory so important. After all if Dumbledore knew what was in it, there was no reason to make Harry beg it from his professor. Harry could not help worrying that this was about to make his choice that much more difficult. He traveled from Hagrid's hut and up the stairs. He knew that Dumbledore would want to know now, but he could barely make his feet move in the direction of the office.

Eventually, the gargoyle came into sight. Harry ended his musing by stopping in front of the gargoyle and asking him to inform the Headmaster of his presence. As Harry waited for the door to open he tried desperately to stop thinking about what he was about to see. He was going to see it, worrying about it was not going to change what the memory contained, he just had to remember to keep an open mind. The door opened and Harry walked up the stairs. Dumbledore moved quickly to open the memory and poured it into the pensieve. Dumbledore and Harry looked at each other before bending over the pensieve and falling into the memory.

(0,0)

Horcruxes. A piece of the soul that is ripped off and embedded in another object. Harry could not imagine the pain, emotional and physical, that would come from ripping your soul into pieces. Once would be painful, and Tom had planned on ripping seven different pieces. According to Dumbledore he was planning Harry's death to make the seventh and final horcrux. Harry shuddered at the thought. Imagine that pain of ripping your soul. Harry imagined that it would be something akin to the cruciatus curse. Of course that could be part of the reason that Voldemort had gone insane, after all it he had seen what happened to the Longbottom's. To put yourself through that willingly- it would drive anyone over the edge.

He was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower. He needed more information than this. He needed to know everything there was to know about horcruxes and something told him that Dumbledore was going to try and keep him in the dark. He needed help. The question was, who was he going to ask? And more importantly, who would help The Boy Who Lived?

(0,0)

Harry tried to talk Dumbledore into letting him go to Grimmauld Place for the holidays, but they were still unsure as to what was going to happen now that Harry was the owner. Which was not fair in any sense of the word. Harry was the owner of the building and Fred and George had offered to stay with him, or give him a room with them above the shop. But Dumbledore was adamant that Harry either stay at Hogwart's or travel to the Burrow with the rest of the Weasley's.

He was sitting in the library ranting mentally cursing Dumbledore, when Malfoy walked in and sat at his table. Draco had prompted Harry to talk about his problems and Harry had needed little encouragement. It was different to talk to someone with a clear point of view when it came to Dumbledore and his strange ways, even though Harry had to watch everything he said it seemed to be strangely therapeutic. When he ranted, Malfoy surprised him by listening to everything he said. Harry could not remember the last time any of his 'friends' had actually listened to him, although in their defense most of their conversations had centered around Dumbledore, Riddle, and Malfoy as of late. It was sure to get annoying. Then of course, Malfoy surprised him again by pointing out the obvious.

"What exactly keeps you from leaving the Burrow?"

"Well... I don't know actually. I guess I kind of assumed that I'm stuck there. I've never really wanted to leave the Burrow before." Harry thought of this new development, "But it really does not change much if I really can't get into my godfather's house because I am not a Black."

"You know, my mom was a Black. So if I went with you we could probably get around any traps that they set for people in there..."

"Yes! That would be- Damn. You can't, it's under a fidelius to keep my godfather safe. He was a little paranoid, but I'm not the secret keeper so I do not think that I can actually bring you with me."

"Well, in any case, he never said anything about it being unsafe for you before. It sounded like it was unsafe for you to have huge groups over." He could not exactly tell him that it was headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix now could he?

"Oh. Huh, I guess you're right. Hey do you want to meet in London over the holidays? If I can sneak away from the Burrow we can plan a day to get together, I am probably going to need to escape from all of the red heads."

Malfoy laughed, "I know I would, I think all of the red would permanently damage my eyes. But, if we are going to be escaping from our personal prison guards to meet up, you should probably call me Draco."

"Deal, if you can manage to call me Harry."

"I don't know, you look more like a Scarhead to me anyday. But I guess I can make an attempt." Draco smirked and Harry could not hold back his smile.

"Sounds good. Look I'm going to go talk to Ron, I'll write you when I get to the Burrow." With that Harry stood from the table and began to walk from the room.

"Can't wait." Harry gave Draco one last wave before he disappeared around the corner, "I really can't."

The next day, Draco watched as Harry left the platform along with the red headed clan. Just before he slid through the wall he met Draco's gaze and smiled. Draco gave a nod to Harry and turned to apparate away with his parents.

"I'll see you soon, Harry."

(0,0)

Harry was overwhelmed by the amount of noise coming from the Weasley clan. They were obviously excited to have a few weeks off without teachers around, but Harry found himself missing the quiet of the hallways and common room over break. The day they had arrived Harry had walked out of the chaos that had descended upon the Burrow and found that he was locked into the wards and able to come and go as he pleased. A week later Harry wrote Draco asking him to meet today during the afternoon. Ron was currently planning a quidditch game with his family in the backyard and Harry quickly pleaded a headache before slipping upstairs under the pretense of taking a nap. A couple of blankets and a patented Fred and George charm later, a new 'Harry' was sleeping comfortably in his bed. Without waiting a moment longer Harry grabbed his invisibility cloak and snuck from the room closing the door behind him. He pulled the cloak over his shoulders and snuck down the stairs, out the front door, through the gate, and down the road.

A mile or so down the road, Harry lifted his wand in front of him. Seconds later the Knight Bus pulled to a stop in front of him.

Stan Shunpike was standing at the top of the stairs like before and eagerly accepted Harry onto the bus like an old friend. Rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless, Harry asked to go to Grimmauld Place in London and paid the fare. Harry sat in one of the many available chairs near a window so that he could watch the country side slip by him. Eventually Stan called out Harry's stop and Harry eagerly exited the bus. He took his time walking up the street Harry took the time to glance around at the oblivious neighbors. Oh the wonders of magic.

Eventually Harry slowed to a stop and turned to face the soon to be occupied space. Standing in front of buildings 11 and 13 Harry concentrated on his godfather's house. Soon enough he heard the familiar sounds of the house appearing and looked at the building he had inherited. It had been a while since Harry had been here and he nearly choked on the emotions that greeted him at the sight. Memories assaulted him and Harry allowed himself mere moments to get lost in them before he shook his head clear and started up the walkway.

Harry hesitated to walk into the house, he stood on the top step staring at the door. Eventually Harry began lecturing himself on his weakness, but Harry could not get himself to open the door. However the thought of Sirius laughing at him for being afraid of a building, gave Harry a brief smile and Harry stepped through the door and into the dark building. Not much had changed since then and Harry once again felt over powered by the memory of Sirius haunting every corner. Conversations and jokes ran through Harry's head as he slipped up the stairs. He was on a mission right now, and on borrowed time, he needed to get what he needed and get out.

He opened the door to a slightly dusty library and immediately felt his eyes grow wide. He had been in the library before, but usually with a school book and homework. Now he took in the size of the library for the first time and it was huge. He would never be able to find what he needed in here. Suddenly an idea came to him and Harry seriously wondered if he was a complete idiot because he could have solved this from inside Hogwarts, he decided to blame Malfoy whenever he saw him.

"Kreacher." He called softly and soon a loud crack vibrated through the air.

"May Kreacher be of service to master?"

"Yes please. I was hoping that you could help me find all of the books here that mention Horcruxes."

Kreacher's eyes widened but he snapped his fingers and several dozen books appeared. Glancing at the number of books before him Harry sighed and asked Kreacher if he could sort through them to find out which ones had information about the effect on their owner, what they were used for, and how to restore them. The house elf nodded. Harry requested that when Kreacher finished he was to bring them over to the Burrow and leave them under Harry's bed. He was only to bring two at a time and would bring two more when Harry called him to retrieve the originals. Kreacher nodded once more and Harry left with a brief thank you to the elf.

Harry left the building as fast as he could trying to escape from Sirius' laughter that he swore he could still hear ringing through the halls.

(0,0)

Malfoy was waiting for Harry at the muggle sandwhich shop that Harry had suggested when the Gryffindor arrived. He seemed to be more than a little uncomfortable as he sat in a booth waiting for Harry to show up. Harry was glad to see that the blonde had opted to ditch the wizarding robes. Instead he was wearing a nicely pressed pair of dark grey trousers paired with a light blue shirt and a dark grey jacket was laying on the seat next to him. Harry could not help feeling the slight embarrasment of wearing jeans. He was immensely glad that he had chosen a short sleeve button up instead of his usual t-shirt. He walked over to the blonde and slipped into the booth across from him with small smile.

"Hey, Malfoy."

"Potter."

"How has your break been?"

"Not too bad. Although someone has decided that the Manor makes a great head quarters."

"Let me guess- tall, dark, and snake like?"

Malfoy chuckled lightly under his breath and grinned at the dark haired boy across from him, "That's the one, you know him?"

"I've seen him around, even went to his birthday party two years ago. Although maybe it was a re-birthday party..."

Both boys laughed and when the waiter came over Harry asked for a glass of water and a hamburger with everything on it. Draco on the other hand asked for a cup of tea with a caesar salad. The waiter smiled and winked at Harry before going back to place their orders. Harry turned back to Draco and was surprised to see him glaring after the waiter.

"What's up?" Harry drew Draco's attention and the blonde shook his head and grinned.

"Did you get into your house?"

Harry frowned at the topic change but went along with it, "Yeah, even got some books to be sent back to the Burrow."

"Glad it went through without a problem."

"I'm still a little wary of the house though, to many memories. And not all of them were pleasant."

"That I can understand, I cannot tell you how happy I was to get out of the Manor today. Even if it was just to muggle London."

Harry grinned, "Glad I could help."

The topic turned to hopes for gifts they would recieve for the holidays and both boys were surprised. Malfoy it seemed had recently become in developing spells and was hoping to get some books about the general idea about it as well as the history that went into it. Not surprisingly he was also hoping for a rather expensive new cloak, although, in his defense, Harry really wanted it to after seeing it in an ad. Malfoy had been shocked to hear Harry say that he was hoping to get a cook book or two, hopefully specifically about baked goods and deserts. Although Harry had also mentioned his hope for getting quidditch tickets even if he would be unlikely to get some from the Weasley's. Actually even if they had Harry would have protested vehemenently. They needed to buy clothes for their kids not pamper him. After several hours of non-stop chatter about school and the holidays, even talking about some politics, the boys accepted that they had been gone too long and someone was undoubtedly freaking about their disappearance. They paid for their food and walked out of the cafe together. Harry mentioned that he was going to catch the knight bus and Malfoy looked positively scandalized.

"Absolutely not! It's a wonder that you have not died yet, Potter."

Harry shrugged, "Don't have much other choice, besides it could be worse."

Malfoy mumbled something about idiots before taking Harry's arm and pulling him into an alley behind the cafe they had just left. Before Harry could think to protest Draco had droped his arm and was pulling a chain out from under his robes. Harry had an odd sense of deja vu thinking about Hermione third year but watched as instead of an hour glass Draco pulled out a silver dragon.

"What muggle town do they live by again?"

Harry told him and went to protest but Malfoy reached out and took a hold of his hand before ordering the dragon to 'take us away.' Soon enough Harry found himself standing on the outskirts of the muggle town behind a row of trees. Mouth hanging open he turned to Malfoy his question clear on his face.

Malfoy grinned, "Controlled apparation charm. Basically it allows me to apparate wherever I want to go without the fear of splinching. Plus I do not get caught by the ministry because it is Severus' magic that charmed the necklace." He sounded too smug for Harry's taste, so Harry solved his problem by lightly punching the blonde in the shoulder.

The boy scowled and rubbed his arm, at which Harry rolled his eyes. He had been taking harder hits since he was able to walk. Malfoy started to walk with Harry but stopped when the Gryffindor reminded him that he was staying with the Weasley's. Grimacing at the thought of all that red hair, Malfoy could not contain his shudder. Harry laughed before telling him that he could walk up the lonely dirt road by himself. It was Malfoy's turn to roll his eyes but he grinned and told Harry that they should try to meet up again before break ended. Harry agreed and asked Draco to send him a letter and Harry would see if he could sneak out again.

Malfoy acquiesed and called for the dragon to take him home. As soon as Malfoy had disappeared Harry pulled the cloak over his head and began the walk up the road. The sun was getting close to setting and Harry was wondering what the likelihood of him going unnoticed this long was. He stepped through the wards and heard the screaming Mrs. Weasley yelling at everyone for letting him get away without being seen. Harry grinned to himself, apparently not the odds were not very high for him getting into his room unnoticed. With a sigh he tried to think of a way out of the lecture he was going to get. He saw a group of trees standing nearby that would be a perfect excuse.

Harry headed towards the trees and took off the cloak. Tucking it into his back pocket, he messed up his hair some more, rubbed his eyes, and adopted a blank expression. He walked back towards the house. Stepping through the doors he got mobbed by red and brown hair.

"What's up guys?" Harry's voice carried the confusion well as he looked down at his friends, well up at them anyway, Hermione was actually the only one still shorter than him.

"We've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?! Do you realize how worried all of us were? I mean-"

Harry cut off Hermione's lecture before she could go all out, "Hermione. I went outside for a nap in the fresh air, I told you all I had a headache."

Ron frowned, "Then why put a look a like in your bed?"

Harry looked sheepishely at everyone, "So that we could avoid this entirely..."

Ron's frown smoothed out and he laughed, "Good try, mate."

Harry shrugged, Ginny cut in, "We looked outside you were not there."

She was pouting and Harry forced himself not to smack her across the side of her head, she looked like she was six, "I was using my cloak."

Mrs. Weasley cut in this time, "Why exactly would you use the cloak to hide yourself?! That seems ridiculously irresponsible, what if you had been injured, we may never have found you!"

Harry stopped his eyes from rolling again and looked straight at her, "First off, I was sleeping- how exactly was I going to get hurt? Second, I would rather not be visible to people when I am unable to defend myself."

Having nothing more to say the people around him opened and closed their mouths obviously trying to contradict what he said, but settled for glaring at him. Harry sighed and said he was going to go put his cloak away and slipped up the stairs and towards the room he shared with Ron. Glancing under the bed he found the books he had asked Kreacher to bring and smiled before tossing his cloak over them so that they would go unnoticed.

Alright kind of a filler chapter, but I think it has some interesting points in it that will help develop the rest of the characters as we continue on! Thanks for all of the marvelous reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Harry was feeling slightly guilty keeping the horcrux thing a secret from Ron and Hermione. He knew that they would want to know about it and they would want to help destroy all them. The problem with that was that Harry was not sure if he should destroy them. Granted Voldemort's tactics were horrific and obviously terrible, but his plans and ideas were pretty much in synch with Harry's own. Harry had read through most of the books that he had discovered at Grimmauld and was thoroughly convinced that was the reason behind Voldemort's insanity. In fact, Harry was pretty sure that the horcruxes were the reason that Voldemort had the homicidal tendencies he was now known for. From what it looked like in his past, the actual killing of humans had never been on his radar. Tom had been crazy, but it seemed like he enjoyed the mental and emotional torture far more than killing anyone... Not that torture was okay but-

Harry groaned and rolled over to hide his head in his pillow. It was far too early to deal with any of this. It was Christmas morning and Harry decided to take a break from all of the worrying and nonsense that was going on. It was five in the morning though so there really was not much else to think about. Unless you counted the numerous naps that he had been taking lately, and yes some of them were actually naps. He had made a habit of disappearing around two in the afternoon basically everyday. It served three purposes: it made it a hell of a lot easier to sneak out and go to Grimmauld when no one was expecting him to show up until dinner, it gave him time to read the books that Kreacher brought, and it let him catch up on sleep he missed because of Voldemort induced nightmares. In the end it was basically an excuse to get away from the noise and excitement that came from the Weasley's. He rolled over again and grew annoyed, he needed to do something.

A glance out the window showed him that the sun was up and that was good enough for him. Changing out of his pajamas and grabbing a jacket and gloves, Harry pulled open the window. With a last check that Ron was still an incredibly heavy sleeper Harry grabbed his broom from under the bed and slipped out the open window into the morning air. Harry pushed himself to see how fast he could go and could not help laughing as the wind whipped his hair around his head. Eventually though he slowed down to crawl and took the time to look around him. It really was gorgeous sitting up in the air staring out at the white blanket over everything. Harry found it ridiculously easy to turn off his brain and relax.

Eventually he heard noise coming from the Burrow far behind him and turned his broom to slowly make his way back towards his makeshift family. Or as close to a family as Harry ever hoped at getting. He sighed as he continued over to the crooked house. He knew that most of the family was hoping that he was going to marry Ginny, but he really did not want to. After the disaster relationship with Cho the year before, Harry was really wondering if he was ever even going to find a decent relationship. Ginny was adorable, sweet, tough, and powerful, but she was also his little sister. It would kind of be like one of the Weasley boys marrying her. As much as he wanted to be a part of this family, he really did not think that marriage would be the solution. He touched down gently and slid off of his broom shaking off his thoughts, today was a day of celebration.

He stepped into the kitchen and kicked off his wet shoes before hurrying up to Ron's room to change and put his broom away. He woke up Ron, much to the other boy's displeasure, and slipped down the stairs to see if he could help with breakfast. Harry got assigned pancake duty and was purposefully mixing the batter as he talked with Mrs. Weasley and Hermione. The meal was eventually finished and Harry was once again amazed at how everyone woke up just in time to eat without helping to cook. He grinned as he mentioned this to Mrs. Weasley who just laughed and said that it was an ingrained talent of Weasley men. They gathered around the table and enjoyed a loud, messy breakfast before Ron and Ginny became impatient for opening gifts under the tree. Eventually the Weasleys gave in and cleaned the table before migrating into the next room to hand out presents.

Harry always loved Christmas. As he sat among the torn paper and hugging family members Harry could not help but feel as if he was a part of something. Just as Ginny had finished opening up her last gift (being the only girl seemed to include gifts galore) a large bird came flying through an open window dropped a package in Harry's lap and flew out. The entire room froze for a single instant and everything was silent as Harry stared at the green and silver gift in his lap. He smiled and reached for it, guessing who it was from, and his movement sparked the rest of the family into a conniption. Several hands reached to block Harry and to take the package. And Harry flinched back without thinking and threw himself over the couch to hide, the gift held tightly against his chest. Every pair of eyes in the room blinked at him in shock.

"Sorry, guys. You all kind of surprised me."

Hermione broke through the silence first, "Harry that package could be dangerous, you shouldn't open it. Let someone test it before you decide to open it."

Harry laughed, "Nope, don't think so! It's like the Firebolt all over."

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley admonished him, "You don't even know who it's from, be reasonable about this."

"Actually I do know who it's from, I am being reasonable. A friend wanted to send me a gift, that's all."

Ron seemed shocked, "And who exactly are you friends with besides me and 'Mione?" He managed to growl out sounding like a jealous prat.

Several people in the room inhaled sharply at his words and responded with several different hands slapping across the back of his head. While Ron complained about abuse and everyone assuming the worst, Harry took advantage of their distraction. He peeled off the silver ribbon and pulled back the dark green paper, a piece of parchment began to fall and Harry quickly shoved it into his pocket before looking at his gift. He uncovered two books and could not help the smile that covered his face as he laughed. At the happy sound the room grew quiet again and the twins hurried over to see what Harry got that was so amusing. When they saw the books genuine smiles came across their face as they laughed with Harry and George felt free to clap a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, Harry, looks like you can start learning now."

"Know that you've wanted to for a while, mate."

"We just have to-"

"request that you-"

"try out all of your creations-"

"With us as taste-testers!" Harry beamed up at the twins as he held the books to his chest, the smile never fading.

Finally, Ginny gave in to the temptation, "What books are they Harry?"

Harry turned them so that the rest of the group could read the covers. One of them was bright orange and seemingly a muggle book the title read The Idiot's Guide to Baking and Desserts. The other was a bright purple and had the picture of a pretty witch stirring something while winking up at them, the words across the top referred to it as A Witch's Handbook for Delicious Desserts. They all looked flabbergasted before they all started to laugh at the sight of a grinning Harry with cookbooks. After a while, Harry realized what they were laughing at and the smile fell from his face. The words that they were gasping out felt like knives to his heart and he began to back away from the horrified twins and towards the stairs.

"What a joke?"

"Why would Harry cook?"

"Do they think he's gay?"

"Crazy, right?"

"What a good joke!"

"Harry, would hate cooking!"

"It would make him seem gay!"

"We were worried about a practical joke!"

One comment about how wrong it was to be gay and Harry felt as though his world had collapsed around him. So he did the only thing he could. Harry ran. He sprinted up the stairs and grabbed his broom, shoved some clothes in a small bag along with the books, and threw his invisibility cloak over his shoulders before sneaking down the stairs. He stood at the foot of the stairs listening to Fred and George yelling at their family. They drowned out the protests of Harry never saying anything by valiantly pointing out that he told the twins and that there was obviously a good reason to avoid telling them.

Not wanting to hear anything else he slipped past them and into the kitchen, out the back door and into the yard. He straddled his broom and kicked off. Ron's voice cut through the wind in his ears and Harry pushed himself faster. He needed to get away, but no matter how fast he flew the wind could not drown out the words that rattled around in his skull. He eventually landed among a group of trees, unable to fly with tears leaving tracks on his now dirt streaked face. He buried his face in his arms as he slid down the trunk of a tree, he drifted off to an uncomfortable sleep filled with harsh words and condemning faces.

"Harry's not gay! My best friend is not some perverted, sick person! That would just be disgusting! He's not a freak!"

(0,0)

Harry woke the next morning feeling stiff, sore, and with a massive headache. Someone was calling his name, but Harry kept quiet and drew his cloak closer to himself. He recognized the voice of Mrs. Weasley saying that they did not mean to upset him, that he needed to come back, that they would make everything right. Harry barely held in a bitter laugh at that statement, how could they make him being gay seem right? Especially after all of the things they had all said, it seemed like he was down to three people in the world who actually liked him. He heard the sound of parchment when he tried to straighten his legs out in front of him. Abruptly he remembered the card from Draco and pulled it out hastily to read it. He smiled at the little note loving the small words that suddenly meant so much more than they were meant to.

Harry,

Just wanted to wish you a Happy Christmas! I wanted to give you something that you really wanted, besides this proves that I was actually listening to you doesn't it?

I hope you enjoy your books, just remember that you have to let me try some of your goodies after you have perfected them.

DM

Harry smiled again has he thought of Draco's reaction to his letter and his gift. Harry had debated getting him the cloak, after all it was really expensive, but he had decided it was worth it and placed an order to be delivered to Draco yesterday. He had also asked Kreacher to find him a book on developing spells from the Black library and had wrapped it up in gold paper before tieing a red ribbon around it. He dropped his head back against the tree and wished that the bird had come earlier or later so that Harry could have been alone when he opened them, but apparently that would have made life too easy for the Boy-Who-Lived. He snorted and reluctantly pulled himself up to his feet. He pulled his cloak tighter around him and swung a leg over his broom again before taking off into the sky, looking for a road so that he could call the knight bus. He was ninety percent sure that it would be able to get to him here, but he would rather take the time to cool his temper first. By time he found a road that was free from muggles, breakfast had been long ago and the sun was beginning to set. He pulled out his wand and called for the Knight Bus. He asked to be taken to the same spot as before. When he came upon his godfather's house he slipped inside and into his old room, which was surprisingly clean. Kreacher brought him a sandwich and he thanked him before laying on his bed and letting his thoughts carry his exhausted body off to sleep once again.

(0,0)

Harry woke to the sound of an owl tapping on his window. He smiled when Hedwig's head came into sight and quickly got up to open the window. She was carrying several letters and they looked as though they all came from the Weasley's. Harry quickly penned a note to the family saying that he was safe, but really wanted to be alone for a while. He promised to meet everyone at King's Cross when they were heading back to school and sealed it before handing it to an excited Pig who had apparently tagged along with Hedwig. When the little brown owl disappeared Harry pulled out a clean sheet of parchment and penned a letter to Draco asking him to meet at the safe cafe the next day at noon if it was possible. Harry asked Kreacher to retrieve the rest of his things from the Burrow without being seen and the house elf nodded at the sight of his master's distraught face and went to complete the task without complaint. And if Ron happened to wake up with spiders on his bed, well it was a shame that he had to go and hurt Kreacher's master, wasn't it?

(0,0)

Harry was reading still, he had received a note from Draco that said they would have to wait another day, unless it was urgent. Harry responded that it was not and he would see Draco then. Since then he had been reading. He took small breaks now and then to eat the food that Kreacher bought him and to sleep, but otherwise he read. He was halfway through the fifth book when he found a list of symptoms to see if an animal was being used as a horcrux. The signs all pointed to Nagini. The horcrux was able to understand their master in any language. Could be possessed by their creator at will. Developed resistance to curses; especially ones that controlled the mind. They began to possess traits of their creator's. They often were given an extended life span and were able to heal faster and more efficiently than others of their kind. Harry almost wished he was a horcrux- especially with the number of times he had been in the hospital wing at school. He snorted remembering all of the times that he had talked Madame Pomfrey into letting him leave early because he felt fine. He remembered that when he had to regrow his arm bones second year that Madame Pomfrey had been stunned by his appearance the next morning. Apparently, skelegrow was supposed to be extremely exhausting for the user, most people had to stay in bed for at least a couple of days. Harry tried to tell her that he just healed fast but-

The book fell to the floor with a crash as Harry sprang to his feet. Harry began pacing back and forth around the study as his mind whirled at the implication. His black hair was spinning about his head as he fervently shook his head in denial. Hell, no. This could not be happening. He picked up the book and looked over the list again, obviously he was wrong. Quick healing did not automatically make him a horcrux, that would be ridiculous. He read the first sign again.

A horcrux is able to understand their creator and all other horcruxes, thus giving them the ability to protect their creator and the shard of the soul it carries. Voldemort often spoke to Nagini, and no one could understand that except another...parseltongue. Harry bit his lip, okay two signs but that still meant nothing. Dumbledore had already told him that Voldemort had passed some of his powers to him when he died. That did not necessarily mean that-He cut himself off and looked at the next sign.

By using a live container for a horcrux, the creator establishes a connection to their mind that allows for possession and mind control. That was ridiculous, Harry had never been possessed by Voldemort- Well except at the Ministry which obviously did not count because he could have possessed anyone at that point in time. The visions were just convenient so that he could defeat him, after all they were destined to kill each other. Of course there was that one time in Voldemort's office where he had wanted to kill the headmaster but-

Due to the aforementioned connection these creatures develop a resistance to mind controlling spells and potions, such as the Imperious and Amortentia. Harry had absolutely no resistance to mind control. How many times had Dumbledore fooled him? Although he could throw off the Imperious curse, but that was because he was as stubborn as the day is long.

Due to the direct contact between souls, the horcrux will develop and retain a number of traits from the creator. Like what? Harry looked like his dad, was in Gryffindor like his parents. Was loved by friends and his adoptive family. He shut down the voice reminding him of his incredibly strong magic and the Sorting Hat's wish for him to be placed in Slytherin. That was obviously just a coincidence.

A horcrux is automatically protected by strong magic, such magic will often prevent the horcrux from becoming ill and will increase their life span as well as resistance to many spells that could cause harm. Harry tried to think of the last time he had been ill, he thought it was when he was six and caught the chicken pox. The doctor's had marvelled at the fact that he was only sick for a day. He also seemed to have a natural talent for dodging spells and curses that were flung his way, but that was just good training, right?

In an attempt to protect the horcrux, the creator is unable to harm the horcrux in anyway unless that is the wish or expectation of said horcrux. That solves the problem right there! How many times had Harry been harmed by Voldemort? The man had injured him frequently and often. His mind quickly broke through pointing out that he had always been expecting pain. Besides that he had never been permanently injured and Voldemort had never been successful in killing him, of course Harry had never expected to die.

Oh. My. God. Harry's mind was really and his knees gave out as he fell to the floor. All of the questions that Dumbledore had never answered suddenly made sense. He could speak Parseltongue because of the soul. He healed fast because of the soul. Everything was because of the soul. Because of Voldemort's soul. Because of Voldemort's bloody horcrux. Harry stared at the wall in the horror of what that meant.

Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, was a Horcrux for the insane Lord Voldemort.


	4. Chapter 4

**Glad everyone is liking the story so far! I love all of the reviews, even critiques! If you have a suggestion, please let me know, or questions for that matter! Thanks everyone, and also I do not own Harry Potter- I know shocking, right?**

Harry was sitting in the cafe waiting for Draco to walk through the door. He was trying to figure out what things he could say and which things would be best to keep hidden. So many things had happened but eventually he realized that the only thing he really wanted to do was to thank Draco for his gift and tell him about the fallout with the Weasley's that it had inspired. He did not want Draco to think that he disliked the gift, he had loved it in fact. But he really needed someone to talk about all of this with. At that moment Harry looked up to see one Draco walk in, wearing the cloak that Harry had given him for Christmas, and he felt a smile split his face for the first time since Hedwig had flown through his window at Grimmauld.

"Hey Harry!"

"Hey Draco, what have you been up to?"

"Revelling in the spoils of the greatest holiday ever celebrated. You?"

"Hiding from my adoptive family."

"Ah..." Draco blinked a few times, "Wait, what?"

"The Weasleys said some interesting things when I got your gift, which I loved by the way!"

Draco grinned at the boy acrossed from him, "I'm glad. What did they say?"

"Well... Actually they wanted me to burn it. While they were arguing about how to get rid of it, or at least test it for dangerous curses, I opened it."

"And?"

"Well the twins, who know about me wanting to learn how to bake, thought it was great and were asking to be my official taste testers. When I showed the others they-they thought it was a joke."

"So?"

Harry took a deep breath and tried to force back the tears, "Well they made comments on how 'gay' it was to cook. How ridiculous it was for me to like something like that. I basically ran after that and the twins tried to get them to back off. My personal favorite was when the last thing I heard as I left, apparently I would never be a 'perverted, sick person' that I couldn't be gay because I am not a 'freak.'"

Draco sat for a few moments trying to control the anger at the red heads, "Harry, I don't mean to pry, but I kind of want to know now... Are you gay?"

Harry smirked and looked up at him with obvious nerves, "I'm as bent as they come."

Draco looked positively thrilled with that statement before he covered it with a look of complete sincerity, "Well, then I think it's safe to say that the Weasle bunch are the disgusting people. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay, hell I know plenty of people who could care less either way."

"Thanks, Draco."

"Don't mention it, I hate hypocrites anyway..."

Harry tried to process that remark. When he came up with a conclusion he felt the smile cover his face, "Draco, are you saying that you-"

"Yeah, yeah." He cut him off and started fiddling with the scratch on the table. All of the sudden he seemed to remember something, "Wait you left? Where have you been staying?"

"My godfather's place." Harry shrugged and then they ordered something as the waiter came to over.

"Harry! You should have told me! I would have come yesterday! Why don't you come stay with me for the last of the holidays? Trust me when I say that I have more than enough room."

Harry smiled, "Thanks Draco, I mean it. But you do remember tall, dark, and snake-like has a plan to murder me as soon as possible, right?"

Draco frowned, "Forgot about that..."

"I'm fine believe me. I am much more worried about what is going to happen after break..."

"What do you mean?"

Harry sighed, running a hand through already messy hair, "I can only avoid them so much when we have all of the same classes and share a dorm room. Only so many places you can hide inside a school, even one as big as Hogwarts."

"You can always come to the Slytherin common room. They can't get in there and the Dark Lord flat out told everyone that they are not to harm you."

Harry brightened immediately, something that the waiter seemed to appreciate as he smiled at the brunette and brushed their fingers together as he set down Harry's food and drink. Draco got a bizarre satisfaction when Harry pulled his hand away and continued to smile at Draco until the waiter left.

"Really? You think I could?!"

"Absolutely! No one will touch you especially if we end up there together. I'll put the word out to all of the others that I'm trying to befriend you so that I can trick you into coming to the manor sometime or something and then everyone will leave you alone! It'll be perfect you know, we can hang out and it will be a way for you to sneak away from the lions' den and then we can hang out at school and no one will think anything of it."

"Draco." Harry was fighting to repress his giggles, "You are getting far to into this, mate. I'll come hang out in your common room and then if people ask I say that you were being decent after our truce last year and I did not want to ruin it. You can go with your whole trying to trick me piece. Now let's eat before our food disappears!"

Draco shook his head and the two boys dug into their meals with brief conversation here and there over some lighter topics. When they finished up their meals the waiter came by and began flirting with Harry again, actively ignoring Draco. Harry was quickly becoming frustrated with his actions and asked politely for the check without encouraging anything else. Draco smirked and the waiter have a forced smile before leaving to grab the requested check. After paying they left the cafe and Harry really did not want to go back to Grimmauld just yet so he suggested a walk in the park to work of some of lunch. Draco agreed and they crossed the street to a small green park full of joggers and families playing in the snow. They walked in silence for several long minutes before Harry gave in to the words he had been trying to hide.

"Draco? Do you think that this is a little weird? I mean- you broke my nose a couple of months ago and left me hidden beneath my invisibility cloak paralyzed on a train! And now we're talking about hanging out together in the Slytherin common room..."

Draco kicked a path clear of dirt before answering Harry's question, trying to find a good way to phrase it, "I guess it is a little strange, but it's not like we gave it a chance to do anything else either. We kind of proclaimed ourselves enemies since day one and never looked back. Makes it kind of hard to get away from that. But we did. And right now I think we both need someone who is willing to just accept us. After all I know most of your flaws, had to in order to torture you with them, but I'm still willing to be a friend of sorts if you need one."

Harry was silent for a long time and Draco began to worry that he had said something that was going to end everything before it even got started. They had made it back to the entrance to the park before Harry said anything.

"I think you have a point. It's really nice to have someone who sees me as "Scarhead" before "The-Boy-Who-Lived" and you want to know the sad part?" He glanced up at Draco with a grin, "I like scarhead a lot better."

Draco laughed and Harry joined him. With a few more words about writing until they got back to school and the usual pleasantries, Harry began the walk to Grimmauld and Draco apparated away with a crack.

(0,0)

Harry had resolutely refused to do any more research on Horcruxes after the revelation during break. He had read literally every other topic, but had studiously avoided the one that he probably needed the most information on. He had thought about the memory that Slughorn had shared, along with the speech Dumbledore had given afterwards. It had all led to the very unwelcome conclusion that Dumbledore knew that Harry was a horcrux and that Voldemort would be unable to harm him unless Harry went willingly. Which meant that Dumbledore was planning on letting Harry die. Harry snorted, as he finished packing before heading to King's Cross.

"Well, at least I know why he's not training me to fight. He wants me to give up and die- no special training needed there."

With a sigh Harry put the last pair of trousers into his trunk and lifted it from his bed. He walked to the usual cafe and ordered a small meal to go before asking to use their phone. He called a cab and asked for it to meet him at number 11 Grimmauld Place before grabbing his snack and heading back to pick up his things.

The cab ride was uneventful and Harry soon found himself standing just inside the barrier waiting for the Weasleys to prove that he was indeed healthy and no he had not died, been kidnapped, or starved. When they did show they were running late as usual and only had the time for the bare minimum in the way of coddling and Harry soon found himself being ushered onto the train. He noticed that the twins were standing a ways away from the rest of the red heads and resolved to solve that mystery as soon as possible.

Turns out it did not take that long, Ron solved it for him. He had decided to describe every minute of the disaster at the Burrow from the moment Harry left and could not be persuaded to shut up. They began walking down the corridor to find an empty compartment as the train began pulling away.

"So after you disappeared Fred and George were on about us not supporting you and other nonsense- they even went so far as to claim that you were gay! Can you believe it?! After that the rest of us were trying to defend you and say that you would never act like that. Fred and George go so mad! They actually claimed that you told them because you knew that they were gay, too."

"Well that's not actually what they said," Hermione tried to say but was cut off.

"That was the basic idea of it, though. Ever since then they have been kind of on the outs with Mom and Dad. Charlie and Bill don't seem to mind too much but they've always been kind of quiet." Harry was shaking as he tried to reign in his temper, "I figured I should let you know so that you can stay away from them. We don't want anyone else to get the wrong idea, do we?"

Ron stepped into an empty compartment and slid his trunk up above the seat before collapsing below it and sprawling. Hermione was much more graceful in her movements, but soon enough both of them were looking at the green-eyed boy standing in the door visibly shaking.

"Harry? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Hermione gave him a worried look, "You know that we do not believe that they were telling the truth, right?"

Harry let out a short laugh, "Actually they were telling the truth."

Hermione looked confused and then paled. Ron was too slow and needed clarification, "Truth about what, mate?"

"Ron, Hermione. I'm gay. I have known for a while. I've had a crush on one particular teacher for a couple of years now, and he most definitely is a guy. Fred and George know because they found a doodle in one of my textbooks, they told me about them, so I told them about me."

Ron started laughing and Hermione seemed to grow even more pale, "Harry we-"

"You meant every word that you said."

Ron stopped laughing long enough to gasp out, "You almost had me convinced Harry, but I know you too well for that, mate."

Harry bit his tongue and struggled to contain his magic. When Ron felt the magic whipping across his skin he looked up at Harry and was finally aware of his "best friend's" anger.

"Harry, mate, surely you are kidding. Right?"

"No, mate, I'm not kidding. I'm as gay as the day is long, and I would appreciate it if you never talked to me again." Harry left the compartment.

Harry was fuming as he left the compartment, slamming the door so that the glass decorated the ground at Ron and Hermione's feet. He heard her whispered spell as the window mended itself and found that it just fed his anger. He refrained from stomping down the aisle any longer and found an empty compartment. Harry claimed it. He carefully shut the door behind him and settled his trunk on the rack before pulling out the textbook he had been reading ahead in.

He heard Ron yelling down the train and forced himself to calm down. Several deep breaths and crinkled pages later, Harry found himself lost in his potions textbook. He heard the door slide open and saw none other than Draco Malfoy standing at the door. He smiled and gestured for Draco to come grab a seat with him.

"No train ride is complete without a visit from the Draco Malfoy." He teased.

"Of course not. How would you handle my absence?"

"I couldn't imagine." Harry said with a very exaggerated eye roll.

"I hear that you and Weasel had a bit of a falling out." Draco said as he shut the door and settled in across from Harry.

"Let me guess you heard the yelling about a minute ago."

"Kind of hard to miss, seeing as I was the instigator of said yelling."

"What did you do to deserve such an action?"

"Opened the door."

Harry laughed, "I meant, why was he yelling at you?"

"Oh! Well it turns out that me accepting your offer of friendship has apparently corrupted your mind and brainwashed you into thinking that you were gay. Which is apparently the most heinous crime of any sentient being on Earth. Not that Weasley used those words so much as he yelled and raged, but that was the effect."

"Ugh. You would think that he would have learned something over the years we've been friends. My first and only kiss with a girl was described as 'wet' and I spent more time looking at the male quidditch posters than I did any girl…" He trailed off with a sigh.

"How did you figure out you were gay? If you don't mind…"

Harry grinned, "Severus Snape."

Draco actually fell out of his sleep and onto the floor. He sat there staring up at Harry for a solid minute, "You and he…"

"Have we done anything? No. But he was my first crush and after that it was kind of obvious."

"Have you done anything with anyone?"

"My you are nosey today aren't you." Draco flushed and Harry laughed, "No, couldn't at home because all of the kids still believe that I am contagious or something. Besides no one wants to get on the Dursley's bad side."

Draco cocked his head to one side, "What do you mean?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "You could say that my childhood was less than stellar." Draco pointedly remained silent and Harry dropped his hands to his lap and followed them with his eyes, "Let's just say that I was my cousin's and uncle's favorite punching bag, and my aunt's personal slave and leave it at that."

"Oh. Ummmm…"

"I'm serious. Drop it and let's move on. How did you figure out that you were gay?"

"My story is a lot better than yours. There was a seventh year Slytherin two years ago who decided that he liked me. A lot. He cornered me after one of my classes and asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade, I told him that I was so not interested. He took that as a challenge and pinned me against the wall before kissing me. He told me to come find him later if I was interested. I hid from him until he graduated but there was no way I could deny liking the kiss."

"Yeah. No, I'm pretty sure that my story is much better."

Draco scoffed, "As if."

Harry gave a vague sound of disagreement and turned back to his book.

"Potions!? Wait. Are you actually expecting me to believe that you can read?"

"Haha. There is a reason why I have been passing in potions this year, and it is not just because Slughorn is obsessed with my fame. It's also why my grades are right up there with your's and Hermione's now."

"No they're not."

"Yep. I have Outstanding in every class, except Defense. Which I am pretty sure lies more with the professor than with me." Harry sounded disappointed.

"Do you still have a crush on him?"

"Hmm? Oh, Snape. No. Well a little I guess. I mean, last year he kind of terrified me during my Occ-er- Remedial Potions lessons."

"Ah."

"Yeah, no hard feelings though. We all have to grow up sometime."

"I guess."

That both sat lost in thought for a few moments trying to understand what they were actually talking about, and, more importantly, why they were talking about it. Suddenly, Draco sat up straighter and looked at Harry with huge smile on his face.

"Hey! Since we're going back tonight, you can come down to the Slytherin common room!"

"You sure that's a good idea on the first night back?"

"Definitely. If you show up the first day then it's kind of like they do not have time to try and understand what's going on between us. You just show up and everyone will wonder if you've been there before or not. By time someone actually gets suspicious enough to do anything about it, you'll be accepted by the rest of the house."

"If you're sure…"

"I am."

"Alright. I'll meet you in the entrance hall after dinner?"

"Sounds like a plan. I need to head back to the other Slytherins. I'll see you tonight?"

"I'll be there."

"Alright then."

Draco slid out of the compartment and Harry buried his nose back in his book.

(0,0)

Dinner passed without much excitement, although Harry did get a message from Dumbledore saying that they needed to talk. Harry brushed it off, he really did not think he could control his temper through a meeting with Dumbledore just yet. At that moment he desperately wished that he had learned Occlumency last year. Harry sat far away from Hermione and Ron and ate his dinner in silence. As soon as he finished he slipped out of the doors and into the entrance hall. Minutes later, Draco joined him and they headed towards the dungeons without another word.

Draco paused at the entrance and turned to look at Harry. Without waiting for him to speak, Harry nodded once and remained staring at the door. With a small smile and a shake of the head, Draco gave the password.

"Serpens Supreme."

The entrance opened and Draco led Harry into the snake pit. It had not changed much since Harry's last visit. The couches were still leather and the room still had an eery glow thanks to the lake, but for some reason Harry felt comfortable.

Draco let Harry look around for a while before he led the younger boy over to the chairs closest to the fire. At first Harry sat quietly still taking in the room, then a small smile came over his face and he turned to Draco.

"Thanks, Draco. This is really great of you, I really don't know how I am ever going to repay you."

"I'm sure we'll think of something."

Harry laughed and changed the subject to the private life of Slytherins. Basically, he wanted to know how they acted around each other, not the masks they put on for the rest of the school. Draco obliged, he talked about how all of them were basically the masks they wore, but here in private they could let down their shields. Slytherins were all about survival, but they supported each other, the secrets learned in the house, stayed in the house.

As Harry listened to Draco, his mind began to wander. Harry wondered why he decided to join Gryffindor. Every year the house turned away from him, it would have been nice to be a part of a group like this. He did not think that it would have been perfect, but it would have been better than what he was going through right now.

After half an hour the entrance opened once again. Several first years walked in and looked surprised at Harry's presence but turned away and went on with their evenings. Most of the younger students did the same. Eventually they fell into their regular patterns and Harry was surprised at the playful attitudes most of them exhibited. Not long after Harry's observation, several sixth and seventh years walked in.

At the sight of the Gryffindor in the best seat in the room, several of them stood still for long moments trying to understand what they were seeing. Most of the girls began whining about the boy sitting in there. Some of the boys went to confront Draco about Potter's presence. The door opened again and in walked Severus Snape along with one smirking seventh year boy.

"Mr. Potter."

"Professor Snape." Harry greeted him with a smile.

"What exactly is the meaning of you being in my house's common room?"

"Draco let me in, Sir. We've become...friends over the past few months."

Snape frowned and turned to the blonde who was currently studying his nails.

"Draco." His voice was sharp.

"Sir?"

"May I ask what you are doing inviting a Gryffindor into our house?" His voice was steel and Draco concealed a flinch at his godfather's tone.

"I'm sorry, sir. Harry wanted a place to get away from the brats in the Tower. I invited him down here."

"I see." Snape seemed to consider something before a small smile crossed his face, Harry was suddenly very nervous, "Did you forget to tell me something, Draco?"

Draco seemed nervous now, "I do not believe so, Sir."

"Well obviously you and Mr. Potter here are in a relationship." Draco blanched, "After all, house rules say that only significant others are allowed to enter the common room."

"Oh well you see, sir it's just that-"

Harry cut him off, with a shake of his head and a sharp look. He ran over his options quickly. With a decisive nod he turned to look at the head of Slytherin. With a grin he made his choice.

**I hate to cut it off there. Wait. No I don't. I would like thoughts from everyone who reads concerning whether or not Harry decides to join in a fake relationship with Draco. I'm going to set up a poll, but reviews are good too! Just so everyone knows it will probably remain a fake relationship through to the end. Let me know, and thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Without looking away from the professor, Harry called over his shoulder.

"What should we tell him, Draco, luv?"

He heard the entire room go silent as they heard the endearment fall from Harry's lips. It was something that Draco could play off if he wanted to, but Harry was somewhat hoping that he would get away with it. He could practically hear Draco's thoughts running as he tried to figure out what was going on. When he saw Draco grin out of the corner of his eye he felt his own smirk grow.

"Well we could tell them the truth…"

"But what fun would that be?" Harry could sense Draco repressing a laugh.

"I don't know, sometimes the truth makes a better lie."

"True, but I doubt it will get our point across very well."

"How about a little show and tell then?"

"You think it will help?"

Before Harry knew what was happening two pale arms came around him and Harry let his back fall against the chest of the blonde. He was the perfect height to lean his head against Draco's shoulder. It felt surprisingly natural. Draco pulled Harry a little closer and looked up at his godfather.

"In answer to your question, Professor, yes. Harry and I are in a relationship. We're dating."

No sound was heard in the grimly lit room and Harry suddenly felt that the room no longer held the comforting feeling from before. He really hoped that they did not ask them to-

"Surely if that was the case you would feel comfortable affirming that with a little demonstration?"

-That. Harry looked over his shoulder at the voice. It was one of the Greengrass sisters, although Harry had no idea which one it could be. Harry knew that he stiffened in Draco's arms. He really did not want his and Draco's first kiss to be in front of a crowd of Slytherins. Well actually, Harry did not want to have a first kiss with Draco period. He felt Draco turn and look at the girl who spoke.

"Surely you could understand me wanting to respect my boyfriend by refusing to parade him around in front of you."

"I figured you would say that. You two could never be dating. Obviously you're just making it up to impress others."

"I have no need to make this up. Harry and I are dating. We met up several times over the holidays and even exchanged gifts for Christmas. I would appreciate it if you kept any further comments about our relationship to yourself."

Harry felt himself smile shyly and blush. He could not help it Draco was standing up for him, it was more than any of his other 'friends' had ever done. Several of the Slytherins were watching him and took notice of the blush. He tried to hide it, before realizing that everyone seemed to be taking his "Gryffindor" reactions to heart and were accepting their story.

"In order to appease Ms. Greengrass would Mr. Potter mind telling us some small fact about Draco that would assure us of his intentions." Professor Snape interceded, apparently not convinced either.

In answer to Harry's curious look he continued, "Something about Draco that you are not likely to know unless you have been in the relationship, like you say. Favorite color for example."

Draco started to refuse on Harry's behalf, "Sir, I really do not think that-"

Harry could fight his own battles every once in a while. He cut Draco off, "His favorite color is blue." All eyes turned to him as he stepped out of Draco's arms, "His favorite food is breaded chicken, much to his father's horror. His favorite pastime is walking through the gardens at the Manor." He looked up into the surprised eyes of Draco, "His favorite gemstone is amethyst, but he really only likes the deep purple ones that are almost black."

Draco smiled at him eyes full of wonder and a small smile on his face, "Harry's favorite color is brown. His favorite drink is an ice cream shake, doesn't matter what flavor. His favorite hobby is drawing, but he never shows anyone his work unless it's as close to perfect as he can manage. He wants to become a healer after he leaves Hogwarts."

Harry smiled up at Draco surprised that he remembered any of that. Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's waist and pulled the brunette back into his side. Several of the girls 'awwed' their performance and Harry felt his blush return. Snape nodded and gave Harry a small almost smile before walking back towards the entrance. He paused at the door.

"Curfew is in ten minutes. I suggest that Mr. Potter return to the Tower if he wishes to stay out of detention."

Draco and Harry followed Snape out of the entrance without another word to the waiting crowd. Harry pulled Draco behind a tapestry in the corridor and stood there silently waiting for Draco to say something.

"Do you regret it?" Harry blinked, not the 'something' that he was expecting.

"I regret that it had to happen yes. But not the choice I made… Thanks for dodging the public display back there." Not the smoothest transition, but Harry really felt uncomfortable about this now that they were no longer in the heat of the moment.

"No problem."

More uncomfortable silence. Draco cleared his throat.

"Okay let's set a couple of boundaries right now, so that we don't have to worry about it later." Apparently he was not the only one who felt this was awkward, if Draco's blush was anything to go by.

"Alright."

"Let's make the 'no kissing' thing a rule for now, if it comes up later we'll deal with it then, but I think little pecks might be in order occasionally, that okay?"

"That's fine. No offense, but I really do not want to kiss you for a 'demonstration.' I would prefer it if we did not act overly affectionate anyway."

"Works for me. If we decide that one of us wants to date someone else then we have to end this as soon as possible."

"Agreed. How about we tell everyone else tomorrow? We can meet in the main entrance and say good morning before going to breakfast?"

"Done. Anything else?"

"That's all I have. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, and thanks again. I don't know what I would do if I ended up having to stay in the Tower all of the time."

"No problem, good night."

"Night."

Harry disappeared from the alcove they found and hurried off to his dorm for the night, he had to tell his friends before he went to bed. They were not going to take it well.

(0,0)

"Harry!" A voice called as he stepped through the portrait just seconds before curfew.

A group of people turned to look and ran over to greet him. Harry laughed and talked to a few of the people who he had not had the chance to catch up with over dinner. Hermione and Ron were there on the edges wondering exactly what they had done to make Harry upset with them. He had known how Ron felt about gay guys. It really should not have been that much of a shock. After watching Harry socialize for several minutes, Ron gave in and brought attention to something everyone else had been avoiding.

"Where were you after dinner, Harry?"

Harry smile at whoever he was talking to before looking over at his once best friend, "You know that thing we talked about on the train?"

Ron and Hermione nodded slowly wondering exactly what that had to do with anything.

"I was with my boyfriend." The room was silent until several girls squealed.

"Really?!"

Harry nodded, "We were in the Slytherin common room." This time a couple of the girls started whispering hurriedly while several of his year mates looked at him with small uncomfortable smiles or disappointment.

"That must be awkward for you and Malfoy…" Someone observed and Harry could not fight the blush.

"Who is it?" The question came from one Ginny Weasley who looked to be on the edge of tears.

Harry pretended not to notice the hurt look on her face. Instead he looked down at his feet and shifted his weight slightly. A slight blush darkened his cheeks further and he bit his lip in a futile attempt to prevent the small smile that curved his mouth. Several of the boys stared at him as though seeing him for the first time as an attractive guy and most of the girls sighed at yet another sweet, kind, and totally hot boy who turned out to be gay.

"Draco Malfoy." The girls squealed again, louder this time, causing several of the boys to flinch.

"Oh my gosh! That is so cute!" One of the fifth years cooed and all of the others nodded and giggled in agreement.

After enduring many minutes of torturous questions, which Harry responded to with the same vague and truthful answers that Draco had used, Harry snuck up to bed with the pretense of being tired. Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean were already up there having escaped from the high pitched giggles long ago. Harry flopped down on his bed with a groan that caused knowing laughs from several of the guys.

"Oh… Is poor Harry annoyed by all of the little girls?" Seamus questioned with a teasing pout. Harry responded by throwing a pillow at him, causing more laughs.

"There is a reason why I am gay," He stretched out on his bed, "Do you know some of them asked for pictures?" He shuddered in horror.

Dean gave him a coy smile, "Do you have any left over?" Harry scowled, raising two fingers, and the boys laughed before settling in for the night.

The lights were out and several whispered conversations were being had as they waited to fall asleep. Ron was tossing and turning apparently trying to get comfortable. Finally with a groan he gave up and rolled over to look at Harry.

"Draco Malfoy?"

Harry raise an eyebrow, "Yes."

"How did you meet up with him over the holiday?"

"I left the Burrow."

"Oh. Right." Silence, "Is he the one who sent you the books?"

"Yes."

"Ah." Ron bit his lip and Harry could practically hear the wheels turning as he struggled for how to say whatever was on his mind, "Look. I really do not have a problem with you being gay, it's just…not something I expected. I mean you went out with girls before…"

"You mean I went out with Cho. Once. I really do not think that counts. Plus I have mentioned guys like that forever, you just weren't paying attention."

"That is not true. I know everything about you."

"Really?" At Ron's nod he continued, "Draco told the entirety of Slytherin house my favorite color, drink, hobby, and my dream career. If you can tell me one of those I will be surprised."

Ron looked almost offended that Harry would think that, "Red, pumpkin juice, quidditch, and auror."

Harry laughed and so did Neville. Ron shot him a glare as though Harry laughing was his fault.

"Y-you got everyone w-wrong." Neville informed him, uncomfortable with the scrutiny.

"No I didn't, I know all of that is a hundred percent true."

Neville's tone carried some anger on Harry's behalf, "Yeah. When he was twelve."

"So what do _you_ think are the answers?"

Neville was silent while he thought about it, "I can't say for sure that I know Harry's favorite color, but I would say it's probably more of a dark green or a brown- earth colors. He likes pumpkin juice, but he prefers ice cream shakes, because he did not get them a lot when he was younger. Harry likes to draw now, you should see some of his sketches of the castle, and they are really good. And Harry has not wanted to be an auror since he was called a liar by everyone at the ministry, I heard him talking about Healing when he was in the infirmary last year though, plus those books he checked out from the library."

Ron started laughing, "That's crazy."

Dean shared his own point of view, "How have you not noticed Harry checking out my ass all the time?" He gave a slightly offended tone.

"Eww. Dean!" Harry shuddered, and Ron sat sullenly while the rest of the room started laughing at Harry, the brunette put a finger to his chin, "But come to think of it, Neville does have quite the fine-"

"Hey!" Neville broke in which brought even louder laughter.

"But just 'cause Harry is gay does not mean that he does not like quidditch." Ron told them.

Seamus cut in with a firm tone, "Harry likes quidditch, yes. But he has kind of been distracted lately, besides his drawings really are fantastic. And think seriously, when was the last time you saw him have pumpkin juice?"

Harry found himself slightly flabbergasted by the observations of his dorm. Sure he had noticed, but knowing that someone else had was making him feel like it was okay to be more than just the Chosen One.

Dean snorted, "I bet you haven't even noticed that he currently as the best grades here. He and Draco Malfoy are fighting for second behind Hermione in every single class."

Harry was not sure about that one, "No we are not. Draco is definitely trashing me in potions. Besides my scores are nowhere near Hermione's."

"They are in Defense, your final last year may have pushed you into first. Besides, you are good at Potions, Malfoy's just better."

"I'm really not…"

Seamus sounded impatient, "So then you have no idea what would happen if you stirred clockwise on the final step of amortentia instead of anti-clockwise?"

Harry frowned, "Your potion would turn a sickly grey color and you would have a poison that would kill the drinker in exactly 22 minutes unless counteracted. But that's obvious."

Ron was staring blankly at Harry. The rest of them shook their heads as they turned back over in their beds. Harry was never going to admit his knowledge. Ron gave a scowl before turning over in his bed to sleep. Harry pulled his curtains back and closed his eyes.

"Not my best mate anymore." Ron's mumble hit Harry hard, but he did his best to shrug it off.

Ron had not been his best mate for a long time. Ron just had not seen it.

(0,0)

Harry walked down to breakfast so that he would be there right after food was being served, the peak of the breakfast crowd. Okay, not usually. But this was the first day back when everyone had troubles sleeping and was up far earlier than they would be any other day of the year, or in Harry's case when he slept better and woke up earlier. Outside the Great Hall, Harry spotted Draco lounging against the wall and took the moment to watch him without being noticed. He still had his hair slicked back in a way that looked exceedingly uncomfortable, but the usual tense set of his shoulders was gone. He was waiting for the blonde to look over at him as he strode across the floor to meet the boy.

When he did look up a nervous smile danced across his face. Harry shyly smiled back at him, unsure as to how he was supposed to act now. Draco stood from the wall when Harry reached them and opened his mouth to say something before he used one hand to rub the back of his neck. Harry remembered the easy way they had talked over the holiday, last year, and even the last five years when they had fought every day.

Harry could not help it. He giggled. Draco raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry felt laughter take over his entire body. He was shaking and Draco started to laugh with him although he quite honestly had no idea what was so funny. That thought made Harry laugh louder. By the time he had recovered his breath, several people were staring at the two of them.

"Do I want to know what was so funny?"

"We finally start dating. And for the first time in six years- we have nothing to say to each other." Another round of giggles burst out and Draco allowed a small chuckle.

When Harry was breathing normally again, Draco held out his hand and Harry took it in his own. They walked through the group of people waiting in the entrance hall for one reason or another, each person stepped back to let the couple through. Harry and Draco shared insults from past years in an effort to fight off the uncomfortable silence.

They walked through the doors and everything went silent. _This seems to be happening a lot lately_ Harry mused. Draco walked Harry over to the Gryffindor side of the room still muttering under his breath. Harry smiled as the blonde pressed a light kiss to his forehead before walking off to his own table. Harry smiled after them, until he heard the awe's and ooh's from the girls and several awkward throat clearings from the guys. Realizing what he looked like, Harry felt himself flush again and hurried to sit at an empty place.

The girls twittered, and the guys laughed at his reaction. Harry heard some murmurs from around the hall but nothing bad resulted. A quick look up at the table showed a fond Professor McGonagall, an amused Professor Snape, and a furious Headmaster.

_Yep, _Harry thought as he loaded food onto his plate, _this is going to be fantastic._

With a smile he enjoyed his breakfast before heading out to his first class of the day.

(0,0)

Harry stormed into the Slytherin common room, and was beyond annoyed when no one even looked up at him. His life was falling apart and no one seemed to care. He found the familiar head of blond hair and went over to sit next to Draco. The blonde said nothing. He raised an eyebrow at Harry when he sighed but did not deem it necessary to say anything. After several long minutes where the blond just continued working on his essay for some class.

Harry started to say something, then he closed his mouth with a sigh and stood up. He was over reacting and he knew it. But the fact that the one person he hoped he could talk to about it was ignoring him. Well… It was not helping. At all.

He made his way back to the entrance with much less flair, and unbeknownst to him that was what caught everyone's attention. An energetic, excitable Harry was constantly bouncing around their common room and, although none of them would mention it, they were really starting to enjoy his presence. The way that he seemed almost to cave in on himself, as if he did not think anyone else could handle what he was going through, it was concerning.

Draco watched Harry leave with a frown on his face. His quill was in his hand and dripping onto his parchment. Someone pushed him and he turned to see Pansy, Daphne, and Astoria motioning for him to follow his 'boyfriend.' With a sigh Draco set down his feather and followed the Gryffindor out of the room. He followed him as he climbed the stairs. He figured that the Gryffindors must have some insane muscles in their legs, because by time he caught up the boy was in the Owlery talking to himself.

"Dumbledore talked to me today. I couldn't avoid him anymore. He wants me to go with him to destroy the pieces that Riddle left behind. The way he looked at me, I… I know that he knows. He's going to ask me to let Riddle kill me. But you know what's sad… I… I just don't want to die."

Harry's words were barely penetrating Draco's brain. Why did he have to die? He had to kill Voldemort, that was it. Who said anything about dying?

"I know that everyone is counting on me. But can't I just be scared for a little while? Why do I have to be so bloody strong that I have to stand up against the world?" A choked sob caught in his throat.

Draco felt guilty for ignoring him. He raised his hand to push open the door, freezing when Harry's next words came out the partially open door.

"Why do I have to be tall, dark, and snake-like's bloody horcrux?"

Draco froze.

"And on top of that I got a huge lecture about how good it was that I had decided to take things in my own hands. Because apparently I have become a freaking genius because I was terrified to spend too much time with my friends. Although I "could do much better than young Mr. Malfoy." Dumbles is an ass."

Draco did the only thing he could, he ran, he hid, he repressed, and he never let Harry know what he had heard.

(0,0)

Harry leaned against the wall stroking Hedwig's white feathers, trying to figure out exactly what was going on with the world. He thought about the insanity that led a powerful wizard to send a sixteen year old out to defeat the darkest wizard of all time. He was the Dark Lord's bloody horcrux, but he wondered if he was anything else, was he really 'Harry?" Or was he just a little mini-Tom?

Of course from all that he had heard the Dark Lord was actually fairly sane up until he started making all of his horcruxes. One was painful, two must have been excruciating, but to make six of them willingly and to plan on making a seventh, the man must have been crazy. He smirked, the Light side was going to send a sixteen year old boy to play sacrifice to Voldemort, and they were calling _Voldemort_ crazy?!

He really wished that he could hear the stories from someone who had been around when Tom had been sane, or more sane anyway. He stood up against the wall- that was it! He needed to talk to someone who knew what the hell was going on. With a determined look on his face he fed Hedwig the last treat and left the Owlery to go to Gryffindor Tower. Harry had a letter to write.

(0,0)

The next couple of weeks went by smoothly, Harry and Draco had not needed to move beyond handholding and the subtle signs of affection like kisses on cheeks or an arm around a waist. However, Harry was pretty sure that his days in a relationship with Draco were numbered. Last weekend Harry had met with the Weasley twins in Hogsmeade and Draco had come along playing the part of a good boyfriend.

The twins had figured out the fake relationship within minutes and had apparently decided that Draco was fair game regardless of his 'relationship' with Harry. Harry smiled as he walked towards the Slytherin common room yet again, their flirting had made Harry incredibly uncomfortable. Draco on the other hand had been so adorably flustered, in fact his blush had lasted for hours afterward, and the slightest mention of 'The Deviants' was enough to bring it flooding back. Harry almost felt jealous, but he had no right to think like that, after all he was the one who had explained this particular rule.

He walked in to find Draco sitting in a leather armchair with the Malfoy family eagle sitting on the back. Judging by Draco's face, this was the letter that he had been waiting for. Sure enough the eagle lifted his leg with a letter tied to it and Harry took it without looking at Draco. He fed him some of the treats he had in his pocket and the bird flew away. He glanced over at the blonde and winced, the Slytherin was not happy.

"Want to explain why exactly you are writing to my father without me knowing about it?"

"I… I needed to get some facts straight." He opened the letter and blinked at its first sentences. "I'm apparently going home with you over Spring Break."

"WHAT!?" Draco came scrambling up to read the note over Harry's shoulder.

He was not actually going to the Manor but to another one of their properties, supposedly tall, dark, and snake-like was still in residence. Draco ranted about the unfairness of no one even mentioning that his 'boyfriend' was going to be invited over, when he froze. He turned on his heel to look at Harry.

"Why are you writing my father?"

Harry swallowed, "I needed some information and I-"

"And I wasn't good enough for you to ask? You had to go behind my back for this?"

"Your father doesn't know all of-"

"'Oh. Well then at least it is not just me that you are keeping things from…"

Harry frowned and grabbed Draco's hand pulling him out of the common room and up into his dorm. The last thing he needed was for other people to hear any of this. As he walked in he cast a wordless, wandless silencing charm and pulled Draco onto the blonde's bed after him. Sealing the curtains closed and silencing them in the same manner as the room Harry took a deep breath.

"Okay. I needed to talk to your dad because he had information on the man who turned into Lord Voldemort. I had to have the information before I made the decision on what I was going to do and what I was going to tell you." Harry held up a hand when Draco went to interrupt, "No. I was not going to tell you everything, but trust me you are going to hear something that you do not want to. But first, I need to read the letter."

Draco nodded and Harry skimmed the letter. It was what like he thought, the two horcruxes that had been destroyed were probably either floating around aimlessly or struggling to join with what was left of Voldemort's soul. Or the symptoms were similar anyway. According to Lucius' letter, the Grandpa Malfoy had been one of the first Death Eaters. The name inspired with the idea of putting an end to the meaningless deaths of wizards and muggles alike. Not long after he left school, Tom had started to change, to grow more reckless, and no longer abided by the rules he had set. Then it had gotten worse. The man had begun to lose his human body as the years went on. And as he lost his body he lost all sense of moral direction.

Harry rubbed a hand over his eyes and looked at Draco who was waiting for him to say something. Harry frowned. Someone else who just wanted him to help the world make sense again. With a sigh he let the frown fall away, that was not fair to Draco. He looked in the grey eyes again and decided that it was time.

"Do you know what a horcrux is?"

Draco paled but nodded shakily, "It's a piece of a person's soul locked inside of an object."

"Right. Tom Riddle, now Lord Voldemort, was scared of death. His fear drove him to seek immortality even while he struggled to right the wizarding world. However, Tom's fear drove him to incomprehensible lengths. He created seven horcruxes. Of course, it could never be that simple.

"His first horcrux ripped off his soul painfully and that was just the beginning. As he lost pieces of his soul, the pain drove him towards insanity, and the only thing he could think about was his immortality. He had created six horcruxes when he came to Godric's Hollow fifteen years ago.

"He was planning on using my death to create his seventh horcrux- seven being the most magical of all numbers. Be it his intentions with the kill, or a soul desperately clinging to life. He made his seven horcrux, and his soul buried itself within my scar."

Draco sat in silence. Harry watched him trying to understand what this had to do with him and his family. Giving up he looked at Harry again.

"Why did you write my father?"

"Because I needed to know if the insanity was because of the man or because of the horcruxes."

Apparently that answer was not enough judging by Draco's glare.

"Because Dumbledore wants-no, expects- me to destroy all of the horcruxes." Draco's eyes widened as he realized what that meant, Harry nodded, "He wants me to sacrifice myself to destroy the little bit of Voldemort trapped inside of my head."

**Duh. Duh. Duuuuhhhh. Not that most of you did not see that coming! Thanks for all of the reviews and I hope to hear more!**


	6. Chapter 6

_"He wants me to sacrifice myself to destroy the little bit of Voldemort trapped inside of my head."_

Harry watched as the words bounced around inside of Draco's head. The boy looked shocked to say the least. The same questions he had been asking were currently being repeated by Draco. The blonde looked as though everything he knew had been ripped out from under him and Harry completely understood that feeling.

"Why in the hell would Dumbledore want you dead?"

"First off- I have no bloody clue. I figured that I could fight Voldemort and if I somehow managed to survive I could live a somewhat normal life with my boyfriend all curled up together in front of a fireplace, but nope! I'm not supposed to survive."

Draco reached out and pulled Harry into a hug. The smaller boy felt the tears that were fighting to fall but fought them back. He was strong enough to make it through this. Draco was apparently thinking about all of the repercussions of this. His arms tightened around Harry before he pushed the boy away a little.

"Why do you want to know about Voldemort?"

Harry shrugged, "I guess I just want to have all of the information when it comes to this. I don't know what it will mean but I just want to know."

Draco was silent for a couple of seconds. Then his eyes lit up as an idea came to him. Harry watched as he thought it over for several long minutes, apparently needing to consider it from every angle. A small smile began creeping across his face and Harry could not take it anymore.

"What are you thinking?"

Draco hesitated, "I'm not sure if I should tell you…"

"Please? If it has anything to do with me and Voldemort, I really do not want to be left in the dark again…"

Draco nodded, "Well I was just thinking- If you can split a soul what is there to say that you cannot put it back together." Harry looked up at him with understanding dawning in his eyes, "If we can join the soul back together then we should be able to take the piece out of you, if we get it out then-"

"I don't need to die to kill Voldemort." Harry sounded like he was choking on tears, "I- thank you. I don't know if this will work, but you looking means more to me than you can even imagine."

Draco smiled, "What kind of person would I be if I let my boyfriend die before setting him up with someone else?"

Harry laughed and pulled back, "I revel in your compassion. In the meantime, how about we forget about this until break? I have a bunch of books we can look through and we can decide it from there. Draco nodded and pushed Harry's hair back behind his ear.

"Sounds good to me." He placed a gentle kiss on Harry's forehead and the smaller boy smiled.

With a wave of his hand Harry undid the locking and silencing charms. They left the room and Draco walked with Harry out of the common room and into the dungeons. With another quick hug Harry walked off to the Tower.

He snuck into his bed somehow managing to avoid all of the questions that his house kept throwing at him. He pulled the blanket up as he prepared to sleep. He briefly thought about the way the boundaries had blurred with him and Draco the last couple of months. The casual touches and kisses no longer ended when they were out of the public eye. In fact they were basically a real couple. Harry wondered if it was possible to love someone like that without being in love with them.

Far below him a certain blonde was sharing those same thoughts.

(0,0)

Harry was ready to leave. It was time for the one week break that came with spring. Most people spent the time here at Hogwarts, but a few students (generally purebloods) went to stay with their families for a couple days. Harry was beyond surprised that he had somewhere to go.

He had been talking with Lucius for several weeks now and still found himself reluctant to trust the male. When the man had promised his secrecy of their encounter, given his word and sworn on his magic, Harry had given in. He needed to talk to someone who would not going running to Dumbledore. They were going to a property that the Malfoy's owned in Spain. Apparently it was the only property that they had kept secret from the Dark Lord, a spell being put on it years ago that was similar to the Fidelius. A person had to be invited to go there, and once they left they forgot where it was.

Harry was getting ready to walk out of the Tower when a timid voice called his name. Harry looked up in surprise to see Hermione approaching him. They had only exchanged the casual greeting since Harry had told her and the rest of Gryffindor about his relationship with Malfoy.

"Hey, Hermione! What's up?"

All of the sudden Hermione broke down in tears and threw herself at the stunned male. Without hesitation Harry dropped his bag and caught the distraught girl.

"'Mione! What's wrong? You have to talk to me, luv…" When that did not seem to work Harry began making calming noises and rocking the girl gently.

Eventually Hermione's tears ended. She pulled away slightly and looked up into worried green eyes.

"I'm sorry! I've been such a fool! I figured that you were gay a long time ago, but I was definitely not expecting for you to go out with Malfoy! He's been so mean to all of us, I was worried that you were under some kind of enchantment."

"It's fine. I know that you did not-" He processed Hermione's words, "Wait. You _knew_ I was gay?!"

Hermione blushed, "Well… I… Do you have any idea how many times you've sat here and gossiped with me? I mean we totally had a day when we argued about what colors look best with my skin tone. Then there was that day where we complained about the new fashion trends in London. Trust me. I knew."

Harry looked down at his feet. He then leaned over and kissed Hermione on the cheek. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks 'Mione. I have to go now, but after break we need to talk, alright?"

Hermione smiled, "Sounds good to me." She pulled him into another hug before watching him walk out of the portrait hole.

(0,0)

Harry felt exceedingly uncomfortable as he set his trunk into the room next to Draco's at the Malfoy 'summer home.' Harry snorted, more like personal hotel. It was almost as big as the Manor and filled with even more luxury. He had been promised that non-violence spells had been placed alongside the others that had been mentioned and was anxious for the conversation that was sure to come.

A house elf appeared and told him that dinner was ready and he was expected to come downstairs along with 'young Master Malfoy.' He walked out of the door and found himself face to face with said Malfoy. He followed the blonde down the stairs and into a dining room that seemed excessive for only four people. The table itself was big enough for three times that number and still have space left over. Draco led him over to the table and to a seat that was next to him.

When the door opened and his parents walked in Harry was thankful for the hand that grasped his. He cast Draco a small smile and the blonde looked incredibly smug. Harry rolled his eyes but did not move to take his hand back. Lucius gave him a nod and Narcissa murmured a polite greeting that Harry responded to with gratitude. The food came out and Harry ate something that he determined was probably fancy, expensive, and delicious- not that he would have any idea about what he ate. The nervous energy that he felt was blocking his brain from processing anything and everything else.

Finally the plates disappeared and Lucius rose and the others followed him silently into the drawing room.

"Mr. Potter, I do believe that you had some questions that you need to ask."

"Please, Mr. Malfoy, call me Harry. And yes I do if you do not mind."

"Harry then. What are your questions?"

"First of all, what do you think that Lord Voldemort," All three Malfoy's flinched violently, "My apologies, do you think that he has become insane over the years?"

"If you do not mind referring to him as the Dark Lord or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, I would be appreciative. As to your question, I do not recognize the man who came back after the Tournament."

"Can you go into a little more detail?"

"The Dark Lord, according to my father, used to be a strong believer in equality in all forms." He sighed and seemed to organize his thoughts, "That being said he was nervous about muggles and their magic bearing children, it seemed unfair that people were able to gain the one thing that made us different. They had learned to adapt without magic- adding magic seemed excessive and dangerous for everyone involved.

"I joined under those principles, but as the time went on his motives, goals, and theories grew out of proportion. My father told me that it had started small with not caring who else died if they were against him. Then it went to killing innocents. Eventually he no longer cared so long as his mission was completed. Now it appears that he has two goals- getting rid of any and all muggle-borns and killing you."

Harry nodded, "Did the Dark Lord begin… declining before or after he gave your father the journal?"

"I believe he said it was af- How did you know who gave my father the journal?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably, "I… Those secrecy wards- will they prevent legilimens?"

Frowning Lucius nodded slowly. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"When I destroyed the journal with the basilisk fang it was because I was saving Ginny Weasley from the possession that she was under. I talked with a sixteen year old Tom Riddle, he had preserved himself in the diary while he was in school at Hogwarts. He told me that he was Lord Voldemort."

The room was silent.

"Geez. How many times have you faced him?" Draco questioned. His voice filled with a mixture of awe and amusement.

Harry gave a weary chuckle, "Total? Once every year I have been at Hogwarts, so six by now and I'm really hoping that seven won't come, but I don't like those odds."

Lucius Malfoy's mouth fell open and he shook his head wryly, "Either you are extremely powerful, or damn lucky."

Harry grinned, "I'm guessing it's the latter. But you said that it was after, correct?"

"Yes and every couple of years it grew worse almost suddenly." Something seemed to click in Lucius' mind, "How did he preserve his image inside the diary?"

"Does the term Horcrux ring a bell? I take it you had no idea what you were protecting."

Lucius was suddenly stark white against his black robes, "Oh god. If he ever found out…"

Harry nodded, "I would not worry so much about it; he knowingly made five others."

Narcissa gasped and Lucius grew wide-eyed. Harry nodded again and ducked his head.

After several minutes Lucius broke the silence, "Why are you asking about this?"

Harry looked at the floor, "I want to know who it is that I am supposedly fighting."

"You mentioned in your letter that you were doubting the word of Dumbledore…"

Harry sighed and nodded, "He showed his true colors earlier this year as did the rest of the Order."

"Wha-"

"I'd rather not say." Harry's voice was firm.

Lucius looked at him curiously, but accepted it, "What are you planning to do with this knowledge?"

"I am almost positive now that the pain drove him to the brink of insanity, his resurrection was probably the breaking point."

"And?"

"I would rather not fight a man who is insane… But he would kill me as soon as he saw me… I don't know."

Narcissa spoke for the first time, "What if we could cure his insanity?"

Everyone turned their eyes on her. Three minds scrambled to process this information, Harry caught on first.

"You mean, repair his soul?"

She nodded. Lucius cut in, "Impossible, no one would need a ceremony like that, I highly doubt it exists."

Harry grinned, "Ah… But haven't you heard?" three pairs of grey eyes looked at him, "I'm Harry Potter. I don't know impossible." He grinned.

(0,0)

They stayed with the Malfoy's for a few more days. Digging through their library providing a distinct lack of information on horcruxes. Harry found it disappointing but unsurprising that there was no information on the re-souling process. Somewhere it mentioned remorse being the key, but Harry figured that was a little outrageous. Trying to feel remorse basically called for a soul and with as little a soul as Tom had, especially damaged as it was, that was going to be impossible.

Before break was up Harry got a letter asking him to have lunch with the Weasley twins. Draco had complained for hours about Harry dragging him along too. That is until Harry told him that the twins had asked for him to come with. After an hour of trying on different clothes to find the perfect outfit (which Harry found slightly offending), they left to meet the twins in Diagon Alley.

It was late by time they showed up but the Weasley twins were still smiling and laughing when they walked through the door. Harry could not help the small grin that was inspired by the twins helping with Draco's chair and taking his jacket. Harry was amused by the game of footsie going on under the table, well until one of the "twins accidentally" kicked him.

Harry felt strangely uncomfortable around his friends, but the way Draco was smiling and blushing was making it worth it. That is until a woman the table over began giving them strange looks. Harry reached out and grabbed Draco's hand in his own, resulting in a glare from the twins.

He whispered so that only the people at the table could hear, "If you want to flirt with my 'boyfriend' I would appreciate you being a little more subtle. At least until he 'dumps' me."

Draco's blush grew and the twins looked slightly ashamed. The rest of the meal was filled with gossip and business talk. The flirtation continued but was limited to innuendos rather than physical contact for which Harry was exceedingly grateful. As the bill was delivered, Harry decided to take the easy road and stood to leave for the restroom.

When he returned he found two frowning red heads and a downtrodden blonde. Apparently it had not gone that well. Harry hugged both of the twins before he led Draco out of the restaurant. Draco used his portkey and suddenly they were standing outside the Malfoy summer home.

Draco went to rush inside, just inside the door Harry caught up with him and reached out a hand to grasp his shoulder. The blonde turned to look at him.

"Draco. What happened?"

"I-It- They… The twins asked me out. Asked me if I could 'dump' you for them…"

"So? What did you say?"

"I said no obviously! What are you going to do if you do not have the Slytherin common room?! What about all of your friends in Slytherin? How are you going to make it through the school year without us?"

"Draco." Harry cut in firmly stopping Draco's words, "I made it five years with you as my enemy, among the lions. I'm getting along great with my year now. I'll be fine. Hermione and I are even working it out."

Draco looked at him skeptically.

"Trust me. Go get your twins."

Draco gave him a shy smile before pulling Harry close in a hug. He whispered a thank you and hurried out the door to stand outside the wards and portkeyed, assumedly, to Diagon Alley. Harry shook his head at the blonde and walked inside to finish packing before they headed back to school.

(0,0)

Harry was sitting in the library. Alone. It had taken all of four hours for news of Harry and Draco's break up to travel through the school. Harry was impressed with the speed of Hogwarts rumor mill. He had expected it to wait until breakfast the next day. With a sigh Harry decided that the whispers raging around him were a sign to go back to the Tower and off to bed.

Ginny caught him in the common room.

"Harry!" With a sigh and a smile Harry turned to face her.

"Hey, Gin. What's up?"

"I wanted to see how you are holding up…"

Harry felt a genuine smile cross his face, maybe they would be okay after all, "I'm fine, Gin. I don't think either of us actually thought it would work out anyway."

"Oh, that's good then."

"Thanks." She tucked her chin and gave him a shy smile.

"So, Harry, I was wondering if you would want to go to the next Hogsmeade weekend with me?"

"Sure!" Ginny brightened, "Neville, Hermione, and I were planning on going together anyway. It will be great to add in a fourth."

Ginny looked at him like he was an idiot, "Well actually, I was kind of hoping that we could go alone. Just the two of us."

Harry felt his smile fall away, "You mean you want to go on a date."

Ginny's beaming smile returned, "I would love to Harry!" She stepped forward.

And Harry stepped back, "Ginny. I told you that I am gay. It was not a phase. Just because it did not work out with Draco does not mean I'm going to change. Cho was a fluke that I regretted instantly. She's lovely, just like you. But last I checked she had the wrong parts. I'm gay, Ginny."

"No! You love me, or you will. We're supposed to be together. You cannot be gay!"

Harry fought back his magic as it threatened to break free, "I am. And even if I wasn't- Why would I want to date you?" She stepped back as if slapped, and for a moment Harry regretted his words, "Look. You are Ron's little sister, Fred and George's little sister. Those three are my brothers in all but blood. You have always been like _my_ little sister. I couldn't do it."

"But-"

"No Ginny. I am going to bed now. Good night."

"Harry-"

"Good. Night." And Harry walked off before she could say anything more.

The guys in the dorm were all consoling and completely ignored Harry's statement that they were still going to be friends. Ron's smug, knowing smile was enough to set Harry's teeth on edge. The other boys were still trying to get him to talk about something else. With a groan Harry rolled over and shut the curtains. Seconds later he was asleep.

(0,0)

Harry was walking down the staircase towards breakfast the next morning. His homework was done and Harry was glad to be back in school. That is until a tripping jinx sent him sprawling down the stairs. Harry pulled himself into a ball to protect his head. When he hit the railing Harry lay there for long moments mentally trying to figure out if he had any major injuries. Several voices were calling out something, but Harry kept his eyes closed trying to fight through the pain.

Ninety percent sure nothing was broken Harry waited for the pain to subside. Thankfully he was already part way down the stairs when he was hit with the curse. Eventually he was able to hear what the voices were saying.

"Harry! Oh god. Are you okay? Come on Harry. You have to open your eyes…" It was a boy's voice, it sounded familiar but Harry's head was spinning too fast to place it.

"Please, Harry. Just open your eyes. Someone went to get Madame Pomfrey. Harry come on." Slightly hysterical a girl's voice was cutting through the pain, once again familiar but not identifiable.

"Harry James Potter! You will open your eyes right now!" It was the first voiced and he sounded desperate and near tears, "Goddamn it! Madame Pomfrey will be here soon, but I need to see you! Open your eyes!"

Harry let out a small groan as the loud voice allowed him to focus on one thing. Several other loud comments cut through the commotion and he felt a two hands grab his own. He gave a small squeeze and struggled against his heavy eye lids. Finally he looked up into cool grey eyes.

"Hey Drac-" His voice faded out as he shifted and had to hold back a scream, something might be broken after all.

Draco gave out a small sigh, "Don't you _ever_ do that again! When I tell you to open your eyes, you open your bloody eyes!"

Harry grinned, "Understood, sir." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Harry?" A soft voice called his attention to the person holding his other hand.

He smiled up at the bushy brown hair and red rimmed brown eyes, "Hey, 'Mione."

"Oh thank god. Are you alright?"

Harry gave her a pointed look, "Someone threw a tripping jinx at me and I fell down almost an entire flight of stairs. What do you think?" Hermione blushed, "Who threw it anyway?"

Draco's hand tightened in his, "Give you two guesses," he practically growled.

Following the blonde's gaze Harry saw two familiar red heads standing at the top of the stairs with expressions of disgust looking down at the three of them.

Harry groaned, "It figures. Here help me up."

Hermione held him down as did Draco, "You are not going anywhere until Madame Pomfrey comes to take you to the Hospital Wing."

Harry looked at her, "If you don't mind, I would rather not continue laying on the floor. Especially with those two staring down at me. They think they won. And I don't like it."

Hermione sighed and took her hand away. Draco wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders to help him sit up, before moving his arm to his waist and pulling him to his feet. Harry wobbled slightly and his vision was filled with black spots for a few moments before it cleared he was able to stand on his own. Draco stayed by his side as the two red heads approached the three of them.

"What do you want?" Hermione's voice was cold and caught the Weasley's off guard.

"Leave me alone, traitor." Ron growled, Harry took a step forward and ignored the pain in his side.

"Back off Ronald." Ron stepped forward to confront him.

"You leave him alone, Harry." Harry looked at her, "He's my brother and since you love me you won't hurt him or me."

Draco snored and doubled over laughing, "Why…Why… Why would he… would he… love…love you?!"

Harry grinned at his friend's antics and turned to face Ron and Ginny.

Ginny frowned, "Harry tell him!"

Harry shrugged, "Tell him what? That he's right? That I don't love you? Could never love you? That I'm _gay _for goodness sakes?!"

"No tell him that you love me."

"Bloody hell. Ginny I do not love you, at the moment we're running closer to hate. I will _never _love you. Especially after just now. Either you or Ronald cast that spell, and I could have broken my neck. Besides your attitude sucks. You think you are the center of the universe; that the sun rises and sets because you demand it. I'm here to tell you it doesn't. Your parents and brothers have spoiled you rotten, and I do not want anything to do with you."

Harry hated hurting her, but nothing else was going to get the point across. Tears filled her eyes and Harry looked away. He missed Ron's fist flying towards him.

"Don't talk about my sister that way!"

Harry rubbed the bruise on his jaw and opened his mouth to tell Ron to go to hell. When a second punch came flying into Harry's side. The pain he had been ignoring flared into agony and Harry screamed before he collapsed into darkness.

(0,0)

Harry woke to the sight and smell of a sterilized Hospital Wing. With a groan he tried to focus through the fog that covered everything without his glasses. Seconds later his glasses were set on his face and a glass of water was brought to his lips.

He looked up at a worried Madame Pomfrey, a thin lipped Professor McGonagall, and a twinkly eyed Headmaster. Harry could not hold back his moan.

"How are you feeling Mr. Potter?"

"Fine." Harry sat up, "Why am I here?"

Madame Pomfrey frowned, "You fell down the stairs. Don't you remember?"  
"No. I-" All of the sudden it all came back to him, "Wait, yeah I do. It was a tripping jinx. One of the Weasleys cast it."

"Now, Mr. Potter. Let us not go make any unfounded assumptions." Dumbledore's voice cut through the outrage of the two women.

Harry stared at him in disbelief. "But sir-"

"Not now Mr. Potter." He looked up at Madame Pomfrey, "Poppy? Is Mr. Potter well enough to leave the Hospital Wing."

"He broke two ribs and cracked another, they are completely healed so… Yes. But I would pref-"

"Wonderful! If you will come with me Mr. Potter I would like to talk with you. You seem to have been rather busy the last couple of months."

Dumbledore grabbed hold of Harry's shoulder and Harry felt himself stand from the bed and walk away with the Headmaster. The eyes of the two women on his back.

(0,0)

"Now, Harry, what have you been up to for the last couple of months?"  
Harry was sitting in his usual chair in the Headmaster's office. And staring steadily at the floor, he tried to make it look as though he was simply embarrassed. He drew a line in the carpet with the toe of his shoe.

"I was looking up information on horcruxes. I found a couple of books inside Grimmauld Place."

"Oh. So you and Miss Granger have been working on the mysteries of the horcrux. I am very pleased that you and she are working on the-"

"No. I didn't tell Hermione. We were not speaking at the time."

"Ah. Well then I'm sure you have some questions."

Harry bristled apparently Dumbledore did not think he was capable of _thinking_ without Hermione around. He started to correct him again, but then a thought occurred to him. With a grin to himself he looked at the Headmaster.

"Yes, sir. Why don't you think that one of the Weasleys cursed me?"

Dumbledore frowned but answered anyway, "Mr. and Miss Weasley are some of your closest friends. I doubt that they would betray you like that."

"They did. And I have witnesses some of them even know which one, I was a little distracted."

"You have to admit Harry, you are rather prone to accidents. It is quite likely that it was a different jinx or a charm to keep you from hurting yourself."

"It didn't work! I _broke two ribs_! But that is beside the point." Dumbledore looked at him, the twinkle still in his eyes, "The point is- What would Scrimgeour think if discovered that you knowingly ignored an attempt on the life of the 'Chosen One?'"

Dumbledore lost the twinkled in his eye. Harry could have sworn he saw a hint of loathing before he covered it with a blank face.

"So if you do not mind. I shall be on my way, have a good day professor."

And with a grin Harry walked from the office. A passing Ravenclaw told him that it was after his last class for the day. With a sigh Harry decided to wait for dinner in the safety of his bed. A quick use of some of the hidden passages had Harry in his bed behind closed curtains. A small smile crossed his face as he recalled Dumbledore's expression.

_"He's a dangerous enemy…"_

As the thought ran through his brain, Harry reasoned that he would have to get out from under Dumbledore's thumb and soon. A half-formed idea came to his mind. He called Kreacher and requested some of the books on horcruxes. If this was going to work, he needed all of the knowledge that he could possess. And it needed to be soon. Something told him that this could come back to haunt him, if he did not prepare for all of the possibilities.

**In case you are wondering- I really do not like Ginny. Or Ron. Or Dumbledore for that matter…**

**Thanks for reading and I love all of you and your fantastic reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

Harry was missed all day. People were whispering about what had happened on the stairs, glares were cast at both of the Weasley children whenever they walked by. No one had seen which one had cast the spell, both of them had their wands out at the time, and quite frankly no one cared. They judged them for standing by each other when one of them had tried to kill someone who was practically family.

Harry heard the rumors and angry statements as he sat in a corner of the library a book of school rules propped open in front of him. He flipped the page and skimmed it. He went to flip the next page before a thought lit up his eyes and he reread a paragraph. He grinned and went to look at another book. Several books later Harry stood with a triumphant grin. Placing the books back on their shelves, Harry practically skipping down the stairs, whispers circulating once more at his excitement.

The whispers continued with a vengeance when Harry walked into the Great Hall for dinner. Looking around the table he headed towards a spot that would give him the chance to keep the distance between the two red heads and himself. People stared at him through the usual announcements but when no comment was given about the accident people turned their faces away.

Dinner came and went in an uneventful fashion. Dessert on the other hand brought the whispers back in force. All eyes turned to Harry as he stood from his seat and began the long walk towards the teachers' table with a smirk on his face. He nodded to McGonagall as he passed her to come to a stop in front of the Headmaster. The usually cheerful man looked furious and appeared to be holding a battle of wills with the small Gryffindor. Harry's grin never faded.

After a long moment Harry parted his lips and the hall went silent. People leaned closer and held their breath as the waited to hear what Harry had to say.

"I, Harry James Potter, come before Hogwarts and her headmaster bearing the request that I be permitted to partake in a resort. This request is brought forth in the hope that I might be accepted into a different house created by another of the Founding Four."

The room shivered as the magic of the words woke Hogwarts. Then the words were processed by the listening students. The whispers returned as the gossip changed. The Gryffindor Gold Boy was requesting a resort. Dumbledore raised a hand to silence the students and the staff. McGonagall's lips were pulled tight as she looked at the boy in front of her.

"Why, Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore glanced over at Minerva's words but his eyes soon returned to the green-eyes of the boy in question.

Harry stood silent, recognition passed through Dumbledore's eyes. Harry was determined to follow through the ritual. He cleared his throat.

"As Headmaster of Hogwarts I ask that you provide a reason for this drastic course of action."

Harry still held the smirk as he answered, "My house has abandoned me many times over my years as a member. They have turned their backs on me and let me stand alone. Recently they have gone so far as to risk my life. Several are still dear to me, but I no longer feel safe among their numbers. I respectfully request the chance to form new alliances and start a new life in a new house among new peers."

The magic filled the room once more but Dumbledore fought against the approval that Hogwarts was sending.

"I am afraid that such reasoning does n-no-no-n-not", He struggled against Hogwarts' will, "allow for a resort. Therefore I find myself inclined to den-n-ny your request."

Harry's smile grew, "In this regrettable turn of events, I turn to Hogwarts' beloved staff. I humbly ask that you grant my wish to find safety in a house that is willing to look beyond the status, fame, and colors a person wears."

Silence fell and Harry felt his smile begin to fade as it remained. It fell away in complete shock when the first Professor stood. McGonagall shared a looked with one of her favorite students before speaking.

"I, as Mr. Potter's Head of House, support his request." Her words were spoken evenly despite the shine of her eyes and Harry felt a gracious smile curve his mouth.

"As do I." People stared as Trelawney stood as well and her voice sliced through the air.

"My voice stands as the final needed to allow for Mr. Potter's resort." Snape's voice caused many students to gasp as he supported his least favorite students, even as the Slytherin house smiled knowingly at their Head of House.

Harry thanked them all with a beaming smile and a sneer directed at the Headmaster. Harry and the others felt another pulse of magic through the room and they watched as Dumbledore fought against it before giving in with a winning smile.

There was a note of joy in his voice as he gave in, "I summon the Sorting Hat to prepare presently for the resorting of one Mr. Potter."

Harry looked up into the once again twinkling eyes and his smirk returned. Apparently Dumbledore thought that he could still win. After all why would the Hat want to place him anywhere else?

The Hat appeared in front of the Headmaster with a swirl of red, blue, yellow, and green that looked similar to falling glitter. Dumbledore still held his triumphant smile as he motioned for Professor McGonagall to move around the table. With a determined nod, McGonagall joined Harry and reached a hand for the Hat. She held it in both hands fingers wrapped around the brim.

"Mr. Potter, before we resort you… I just want to say that it was an honor having you in my house. I will not lie to you, I sincerely hope that you are placed back in Gryffindor. However, I hope that you will be happy in your new house no matter what."

Harry smiled up at her, "Thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. In all honesty I can say that I am glad that you were my Head of House. I'm sorry that it had to come to this."

A small smile settled on her lips, barely there. "As am I, Mr. Potter."

Without further hesitation she lifted the Hat and placed it on his head. Harry remembered his first year when it had fallen over his eyes, blocking out the Great Hall and everyone in it. He smiled as he remembered the words it had spoken then and felt himself fall into the memory. Until a voice pulled him back.

_"Ah. Mr. Potter. It is good to see you again, although I will admit that I am quite surprised. I see that you have requested a resort."_

_Yes. Please, can you help me?_

_"I also see that you are withholding your true reason for the resort from everyone. Especially the Headmaster."_

_I am. Could you please not mention any of it to him?_

_"Of course. I am quite willing to hide information from that old bat." _Harry giggled and got many questioning looks before he blushed and focused again, _"I have become quite disappointed in his actions. I must say that I had hoped he would become more than a liar."_

Harry frowned. _What did he lie about?_

The Hat made a sound that was similar to clearing his throat, _"That will be revealed in time. Now. I am hoping to take this opportunity to place into the House that you were quite suited for before. Although your time in Gryffindor has softened some of those tendencies, I still feel that it is appropriate. Does that meet with your approval?"_

Harry smiled again at the Hat's seemingly hurt tone. _Please, if you don't mind._

_"Very well then. You will be in" _The Hat called out to the hall- "SLYTHERIN!"

The gasp was wrung from literally the entire hall. The room went deadly silent and stared at their Chosen One. They waited for the infamous Potter temper. And were dumbfounded as he stood with his smile still firmly in place and handed the Hat to the frozen McGonagall. He moved to stand in front of the smirking Defense Professor.

"Professor Snape, I stand before you as a student recommended to join your House of Slytherin. I hope that you will do me the honor of allowing me to follow that recommendation."

This was the part that Harry was nervous about. Snape had never really liked him. His relationship with Malfoy was over, and although he did not seem to bar him from the common room Harry was anxious that he would take this opportunity to do so. Snape opened his mouth and the Hall filled once again with the pure magic of Hogwarts.

With a sudden smile, that had half of the school on the floor, he looked at Harry, "On behalf of Salazar Slytherin, I welcome you my House. I offer you the protection and family that comes with it, although I must warn you of the dangers that you will face of pride, vanity, and power. I wish you the best of luck."

And without further ado. Professor Snape returned to his food.

Harry walked over to the Slytherin table with a beaming smile and a spring in his step. Several of the Slytherins laughed at his antics but slid over to make room for him next to Draco. His blonde friend was looking at him with a mixture of shock and pleasure as he handed him what was left of the treacle.

Harry took the moment to look up at the head table. McGonagall was still in shock but was conversing amiably with Trelawney. Professor Snape looked smug, even as he studiously avoided talking to Slughorn. Dumbledore was the best though. He looked as though someone had torn apart his life's work and flushed it down the toilet. Which, circumstances being what they are, was a fairly accurate description.

After dessert was finished Harry walked out of the Great Hall with the Slytherins. Several of the Gryffindors were standing just outside the doors and Harry raised a hand in greeting. With the exception of Hermione and the sixth year boys (minus Ron of course), they turned up their noses with a sneer and walked up the stairs.

Hermione turned on him, and Harry was shocked to say the least, "How could you do that to us?! Ron and I have been your best friends for years and now you turn your back on us so you can go be with your boy- wait even better- your ex-boyfriend! Here I am trying to mend the bridges like I always do and you have to go and-"

Seamus stepped in between her and Harry. "Back off. Harry and Draco have the ability to look past all of each other's faults and, unlike you and Ron, Draco actually _likes_ Harry."

Hermione turned to look at Harry and opened her mouth to say something, but Harry lost his temper and cut her off.

"Damn, Hermione. I had hoped that maybe you could see past your crush on Ron. I was hoping you were going to be able to look at both of us one day. I accepted your apology, I even thought that we were on our way towards fixing this." He snorted, "Apparently I'm going to suck at being a Slytherin as much as I did being a Gryffindor.

"I-I- I thought tha-at m-m-m…" He took a deep breath and forced back the tears that came from this betrayal, "I thought that maybe you would be mature about this. That maybe you really were my friend. But you wanted my fame as much as Ron, didn't you?"

Hermione said nothing and kept her eyes on his. With a sigh and repressed tears Harry thanked the other boys and said that he would see them soon. He stood up from his position leaning against Draco, unsure when that had happened, and walked on slightly unsteady legs to the Slytherin common room.

Harry heard Draco saying something to the Gryffindors but was too caught up in his own thoughts to process any of it. By the time Draco had caught up with him he was staring blankly at the entrance. Draco whispered a password that Harry did not catch and led the boy into his new room.

Guiding Harry to his newly appeared bed Draco pushed Harry to sit down. Harry sat against his now green sheets and looked around. He could not really focus on anything so he took off his glasses to clean them. Something fell on his leg. Glancing down he saw a small drop of water sliding off his leg. He reached up to touch his face and realized he was crying.

His breath caught and a sob broke free. Draco was there beside him with an arm around his shoulders, seeming very uncomfortable. That made Harry's last restraint shatter. Tears began streaming from his eyes and over his face. He leaned into Draco and buried his face in the blonde's shoulder. Draco stiffened for half a second before sighing and pulling the boy closer.

Harry cried for several long minutes. The soft sounds that Draco was whispering eventually pulled Harry back to the present. He forced himself to take deep breaths and stop the tears. After a long moment the water works stopped and Harry pulled gently from Draco's arms.

"You want to talk about it?" Draco asked softly and hand still rubbing over Harry's back.

Harry started to say no but with a sigh nodded yes. Draco waited for him to sort through his thoughts.

"It's just… Ron has been there since I boarded the train. He was always flaky and I figured that it was just his way. I hate the fact that he is jealous all of the time, especially since I would give it up in a heartbeat, but I kind of hoped that he would grow out of it. I figure we will never be that close again, but I had hoped we could still be mates."

Draco knew that Ron's betrayal had hurt Harry, especially since it meant that he lost the rest of his pseudo-family as well. Although he could not hide the hurt that filled his face at Harry's reaction to Ron's friendship. Draco felt that he had been a much better friend than those two, even when they were fighting.

Harry did not notice the look Draco gave him, "But Hermione… She became our friend because we saved her from the troll and then lied to the teachers to get us out of it. Although I still don't know why- I mean how much trouble would we have gotten in for trying to help her? All she did was make herself look bad." Harry thought about that for a long moment, "But anyway. It just seems wrong that she would pick Ron. Not because I'm 'perfect,' 'famous,' or anything like that. I thought it would be because she thought that I was a better friend. And then I find out that she was lying to me earlier…"

Draco kept his hand on Harry's back, concealing his feelings better now that he had stopped talking about Ron. Harry looked up at him.

"You know, it's kind of ironic how I'm sitting here complaining about the betrayal my friends made. I mean first of all you were my 'arch-nemesis' for five long years and now you are my best mate. Hell, we even 'dated' because you were willing to help me." Harry leaned up and kissed Draco lightly on the cheek, "Thank you."

Draco smiled, "Anytime. I think you are almost like a little brother that I never wanted."

Harry laughed and pulled away from Draco slightly to lay down on the bed. Draco laid next to him and the next few minutes passed in a comfortable silence. Each boy lost in thoughts of friendship and family. The future passing through their minds as they tried to guess what was coming.

Harry propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at Draco.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"How long do you think we have until Voldemort finds out that I got re-sorted into Slytherin?"

Draco gave a dark chuckle, "I'm sure he already knows, mate."

Harry sighed, "Then I guess we have to do it soon…"

A small frown creased Draco's face, "What do you mean? Do what?"

"Don't worry about it," Harry shook his head to cut off Draco's protest, "What's up with you and the twins?"

Draco's frown disappeared to be replaced with a shy smile, "We've been writing back and forth. They want to go to lunch with me next time we go to Hogsmeade."

"That's great! They are really great guys." Harry paused, "You know I'm in a dilemma."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I think that we can officially say that you are my best friend," Draco blushed, "But the twins are like my brothers. So who do I get to threaten?"

"Threaten?"

"You know: 'You break his heart, I break your legs.' That kind of stuff."

Draco laughed, "How about you just threaten all of us? This way you've done your job and can feel successful."

Harry laughed too, "Sounds like a plan to me!"

"Now, what is this other plan that you unsuccessfully attempted to distract me from?"

"Draco, really you don't need to-"

"And how did you like it when people kept information that _you_ didn't need to know a secret?"

Harry flushed and Draco watched as he struggled to control his temper, "That's not the- it's just that- ugh! Fine. You and I can take this chance to talk about it, that 'it' being something that I really do not want to talk about, just to satisfy your curiosity."

Draco felt slightly guilty and tried to apologize but Harry was reaching towards his trunk and pulling out a book. He flipped through it angrily Draco reached out a hand to do something but before he could decide Harry pulled away skimmed over a page, dropped the book into Draco's lap and pointed at a passage.

Draco skimmed his eyes over the words and looked up at Harry to see the other boy looking at him with an odd expression on his face. Something in the words registered in Draco's brain and he glanced down and re-read the short paragraph.

_"Creating a horcrux is a dangerous and excruciating process. Ironically, fixing the soul is practically painless although it is exceedingly complicated in comparison. The first step to mending the soul is to release it, most commonly this is achieved through the destruction of the object concealing the piece of the soul. Once the soul is free it will return to the person who owns it._

_"This however does not achieve the actually mending. The soul will bounce around through the space surrounding the person in an attempt to gain access. This is a futile process. The damage that was caused through the splitting of the soul can be repaired by one of two courses of action. The first option is for the person to feel remorse for the murder(s) that they committed to create the horcrux. This is something rarely achieved as often people find it difficult to feel emotions similar to remorse without this missing piece of the soul. The second course of action lies in the recitation of a spell that forces the piece of the soul to merge with the other and bond. This is even more difficult because the person who recites the spell has to be of blood relation to the murdered person(s) used to create the horcrux. People have tried to force others to say the spell, but it has resulted in nothing. The only case in which this spell worked was one in which the young witch in question had fully forgiven the murderer for their actions."_

Draco looked up at Harry again with a look of astonishment on his face. "You want to fix Voldemort's soul."

Harry shook his head, "No. I want to fix Tom Riddle's soul."

(0,0)

Harry was sitting in his new seat in the dungeon classroom. Slughorn was attempting to keep the students' attention but with the beautiful weather that was calling from the school grounds, his attempts were futile. With a sigh Slughorn motioned for them to start on their potions and he turned to sit at his desk.

Harry began his potion, a simple one that required no thought and for that reason Harry's mind began to drift. Last night Draco had looked at the book a moment longer before shutting it and moving to his own bed. Harry started to speak but his words had been cut off with the closing of curtains. Harry had given in and closed his own curtains. Draco had not said a word about it since.

This was one of the reasons why he had wanted to wait. He wanted to get a chance to be just friends with Draco before he dove into another 'adventure.' After all, that was what he had done with Hermione and Ron. Look where that had gotten him. He glanced over at the blonde sharing his table. They were working individually today, but practically every other table was filled with chatter.

Hermione and Ron in particular were taking great joy in talking gaily with each other, shooting pointed glances in Harry's direction as the opportunities presented themselves. Neville, Seamus, and Dean tossed apologetic glances his way every now and again. Blaise and Theodore were muttering amicably back and forth and Millicent was getting along splendidly with Astoria. In the end Harry sighed and turned back to his potion.

As he reached for his next ingredient an idea struck him. He pushed it out of sight to the other side of his cauldron. Maybe he could get Draco to talk.

"Draco?" The blonde ignored him, "Draco? I can't find my beetles. Can I use some of yours?"

Silently Draco pushed his beetles over and moved to reach for another ingredient. He never took his eyes off his potion. Fighting to ignore the stinging behind his own eyes, Harry turned back to his potion.

(0,0)

Draco still had not said a word to him. Not that Harry had not been trying. The first week Harry had done everything from asking for homework help he did not need to jumping into conversations with people he did not like, just so long as they were talking to Draco. Despite Harry's constant attempts at minimal conversation, Draco said nothing. Not a grunt. A sigh. Nothing. After that first week of Harry ignoring, the brunette gave up. He no longer tried to talk to Draco. After class he walked into the common room or the library and worked on his homework. When he decided that he had done enough he slipped off to their room and pulled the curtain closed around him.

As Harry tried to distance himself from the loneliness that consumed him. Harry was slowly losing all contact with everyone else as well. It started out small, skipping the occasional meal and making excuses to leave conversations. It progressed. Harry went to breakfast one day and lunch the next. He went to his classes turned him flawless, if messy, homework to his professors. Stayed up most of the night locked inside the curtains with his books on horcruxes.

He memorized the spell he needed ordered all of the ingredients that he needed for the ceremony. He read the books again. Harry was ready to cast the spell. He just needed to be closer to Voldemort, the spell and ritual had a limited range. Then of course he needed to go and gather the rest of the horcruxes. He was assuming that the first two pieces of Tom's soul were with him already, desperately searching for the remorse that Voldemort would never feel in order to join with him once more.

This was the point that he had hoped to talk to Draco about. Apparently tall, dark, and snake-like was still hiding in their Manor. He had written to Lucius, but no reply came. Apparently this had become a family wide mission. He laid back on his bed as the thoughts ran around his head. Briefly he entertained the thought of dinner but gave it up as a lost cause and rolled over into darkness.

(0,0)

Harry's new habits did not go unnoticed. Much to Harry's displeasure. It was almost time for school to end and in spite of Harry's phenomenal grades, McGonagall tried to get him to go see Madame Pomfrey. Harry left the classroom at her coaxing and the stares of his house, except of course Draco, and walked past the infirmary and down into the dungeons.

The next day Harry was cornered by one furious Professor Snape.

"I had hoped that receiving the instructions to go to the infirmary by your former head of house would have encouraged you to follow directions for once. However, it appears that I was mistaken." Without further ado, Snape grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out of the dungeon down the hall and into the Hospital Wing.

Harry froze when his mind finally managed to catch up with what was happening, but it was too late. Harry stood in the room with McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, Pomfrey, and (regretfully) Dumbledore. Madame Pomfrey sat him in one of the beds and did several diagnosis spells before shoving potion after potion down his throat. Harry's stomach fought to force them back up but a final potion eased the nausea.

Then came Madame Pomfrey's questions:

"Mr. Potter when was the last time that you ate?"

Harry shrugged.

"Please, Mr. Potter. Answer the question."

Harry sighed, "Breakfast." His voice came out toneless and unemotional.

Snape cut into the conversation, "You were _not _at breakfast this morning."

Harry shook his head, "Two days ago."

Several gasps filled the room.

"Why are you not eating?" Madame Pomfrey's voice remained calm.

Harry shrugged and she did not press.

"How long did you sleep last night?"

"Couple of hours."

"When did you last sleep the whole night?"

Harry shrugged again.

Madame Pomfrey frowned. "Mr. Potter, are you using a spell to hide?"

Harry sat still. With a sigh Madame Pomfrey raised her wand and cast a finite.

The room froze. Even Dumbledore looked shocked and worried. Harry was far underweight, his cheeks sunken in. He was pale and the only color on his face came from dull green eyes and black circles.

**I know that is a really awful way to end a chapter, but otherwise it will go on forever. And please don't hate Draco! Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

The adults in the room stared in shock at the boy in front of them. They had obviously been expecting something was wrong with the ex-Gryffindor, but not this. Harry's head hung in shame as he avoided looking at his professors. Madame Pomfrey recovered first. She conjured curtains and set them up around the boy's bed. She told him to rest for a while before pulling them closed. Then she motioned for the others to follow her into her office. Flitwick bowed out and said that although he was worried for the boy he did not feel that he should take part in the conversation. The others nodded and Flitwick left the room.

When everyone was inside and the usual warning charms were set, Madame Pomfrey turned to look at the three people standing in the room.

"Harry is depressed. I don't know what brought it on or why, but he has done remarkably well at hiding it."

The others nodded although Dumbledore's eyes briefly flicked away before focusing again on Poppy.

"Does anyone have any idea what caused this? I can treat him without knowing, but it is likely that he will slip back into depression if the cause remains."

They all shook their heads and Madame Pomfrey frowned. She started to say something concerning the fact that they had missed something that caused the usually unbreakable boy to shatter. Before she could Snape cut her off with a flash of understanding a quick question.

"How long do you think it's been since this started?"

Madame Pomfrey reflected on the boy's condition, "It's hard to say, but knowing him and how he usually acts I would place it at about six weeks. That's how long it would take for him to sink into something like this, and the trigger would more than likely have been present for that entire time."

Snape flinched, "Potter was resorted into Slytherin six weeks ago."

Poppy frowned, "Severus, I really doubt that was the cause. He seemed more than happy to be in your house. In fact, he looked as though he had expected it."

McGonagall reached out a hand to comfort Severus, resting it gently on his arm, "He and Mr. Malfoy were close, even if they were no longer in a relationship. I highly doubt that he would regret the chance to spend more time with him."

"That was why I was surprised when they stopped talking. I thought that being able to be around each other would make both of them happier. But Mr. Malfoy showed up in class the next day and partnered with Blaise, leaving Harry alone. Almost as if they had a-"

Realization flashed through Snape's eyes. "As if they had a fight. Could that be it?"

Poppy frowned, "Usually fighting with a friend does not cause something like this. It would have to be more serious than that," She turned her gaze to Minerva, "How often does he see Mr. Weasley and Miss. Granger?"

Minerva shook her head, "Mr. Weasley and he have not spoken with each other in months, basically since Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy started dating. He and Miss. Granger had a fight after the resort. I think that the only person who really stuck by him for that was…not even Mr. Malfoy."

Poppy's frown deepened, "He lost everything in a matter of hours. That is enough to cause this. I think we need to talk to both of the boys."

She lead the adults back out into the hospital wing.

(0,0)

Harry was staring at the ceiling. After Madam Pomfrey had closed the curtains he had laid down and attempted to rest. He was tired enough after all. After a few minutes of staring blankly at the inside of his eyelids, Harry sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Not much better but better nonetheless.

He hoped that the professors would let this go if he promised to take better care of himself, but doubted it. He was after all their 'Chosen One' could not let him waste away now could they. He snorted, although no one really cared so long as he could walk up to Voldemort and give up.

There was movement outside the curtains and Harry waited for them to open again. Madame Pomfrey looked at him lying there with a concerned and annoyed frown. As if upset to see him still awake.

"Mr. Potter, we wanted to ask you about something."

Harry nodded once.

Snape's voice cut off Madame Pomfrey's as he appeared next to the woman. "Madame Pomfrey feels that your affliction began about the time you were resorted into Slytherin. Would you prefer to be placed back in with the Gryffindors?"

His voice was flat and Harry felt panic rising up inside of him. Sitting up quickly he whispered his denial. They could not put him back there. Then he would never even be able to chance friendship with Draco again. He started to shake his head and Madame Pomfrey reached out a hand to still him.

"You fine, Harry. We won't do anything that would hurt you more."

Harry sagged with relief, "Thank you."

Harry thought he saw the barest hint of a smile on Snape's face before the professor turned and left with the dramatic billowing of his robes. Madame Pomfrey sent the other two away especially when Harry cringed away from the Headmaster. She told him to change into some pajamas and that she wanted him to stay there for the next couple of days to get some weight back on his bones.

Harry nodded and started to change as soon as she closed the curtains. The robes were not comfortable anyway. Without anything else to do Harry lay back on the bed and pulled the blankets up to his waist. Resting against the pillows Harry dozed on and off for a couple of hours, never actually sleeping enough to curb his exhaustion.

(0,0)

Professor Snape stood in front of his godson with a look of tempered rage on his face and Draco could not help flinching when the man reached out to him. Seeing Draco's reaction Severus sighed and some of his anger slipped away. He grabbed Draco's upper arm and pulled him towards the Hospital Wing.

Looking around the room he saw one occupied bed, curtains hiding its owner from view. Confusion written on his face, Draco looked up at his godfather. A wave of Snape's wand and Draco saw the student lying in the bed through the now invisible curtains. A head of messy black hair lay on the pillow. Draco looked up at Severus again, same confusion on his face. He did not recognize the skeletal figure under the blanket. Without another word Snape waved his wand to hide the boy again and left the wing.

Draco's face scrunched up as he tried to understand what this was all about. Eventually he gave up and with one last look at the curtains around the small boy, Draco followed his professor out of the doors. He had class to get to after all.

(0,0)

Draco walked into Potions and sat at his usual table. The bell rang and Draco quickly grabbed his parchment in order to avoid conversation with Harry. As the professor started to lecture, Draco noticed the lack of body heat beside him. A quick glance showed that it was probably due to the fact that there was no body present. A slight frown curved his lips but he shook it off. Harry was probably trying to get some space from Draco. Draco figured Harry was finding it as difficult as Draco was to keep ignoring each other. The class ended without a potion and Draco piled his stuff into his bag and headed off to Transfiguration.

(0,0)

Harry was not there either. In fact no one had seen Harry at all. No one could even remember when they _had_ last seen him. It was dinner and Draco had been looking for Harry since classes had ended. He knew that he was supposed to be avoiding the ex-Gryffindor, but he needed to know that he was okay. He checked the library, the grounds, Hagrid's hut (and was that not the most fabulously awkward conversation), and the Slytherin dorms. Finally he did what he accepted should have been his first step: He went to the Hospital Wing.

Draco walked inside of the white room and glanced around. The room was empty except for the curtained bed that Severus had brought him to see that morning. He was out of ideas. Harry always ended up in here eventually. He glanced at the curtains again, maybe… Without conscious thought Draco felt his feet carry him over to the curtained bed.

His hand reached out and brushed over the hanging fabric. Hesitating before pulling it aside to glance at the figure. Draco looked at the figure, he did not recognize the boy. He shrugged figuring it was someone from a different house. The curtains fell closed before something began annoying the blonde. There was something familiar about the black hair.

He reached back and opened the curtains again. A glimpse of something under the messy fringe brought Draco closer. Draco inhaled and fell backwards into the chair next to the bed. Under the black hair, the forehead was marked with a lightning shaped scar.

Draco stared at the way the boy looked. Bones pressing against pale skin. Hair looking like it had not been washed or brushed in weeks. The muscles strained against the too small skin. He looked dead. Draco shook his head, Harry had looked fine yesterday. What had happened to the sixteen year old? Harry had always been small, but this was terrifying.

He looked up at Harry's face and brushed the hair back from the sweaty forehead, and green eyes opened suddenly at the touch. Draco jumped slightly and swore.

"Bloody hell! Are you trying to kill me Harry? You scared the crap out of me!"

Harry blinked and a frown covered his face, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"What am I…? Harry! The entire student body has been searching the school for you! None of the teachers were overly worried, but they would not tell us where you were! I've been looking for you for hours! What did you think would happen when you disappeared like that?"

"I did not disappear, the professors dragged me here. Literally! Snape dragged me out of the dungeons so that I would come and see Madame Pomfrey. I'm fine."

Draco gave him a disbelieving look, "Fine? You look as though you've been eating air for the last few months. You are not '_fine'._"

"I _am!_ Apparently Madame Pomfrey is convinced that I'm 'depressed'," Harry mocked the witch, " just because I have not been hungry, they were going to take me out of Slytherin."

Draco stared, "Depressed? Wait. You did this to yourself?!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "No. Madame Pomfrey did this. I looked perfectly fine this morning."

Madame Pomfrey walked in at that moment, "No. You were wearing a glamour this morning."

Harry obviously did not appreciate the distinction and huffed.

"Mr. Malfoy, I do wish that you had come to see me, before Mr. Potter. However, I do appreciate that this is more than he has talked in months, so thank you for that."

"Why do you think he's depressed?"

"All of the symptom-"

"I know. Sorry, I meant: Why is he depressed?"

"Heellllooo. Sitting right here!" Harry pouted.

Draco turned to him, "Alright fine, do you know why you're depressed?"

At Draco's patronizing tone Harry sat up, "Of course I do! It's because you- You… You do not need to know."

"Don't need to know?" Draco walked closer to where Harry was now sitting on the bed, "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you today? How mad I am that I somehow missed the fact that you haven't been eating? Or apparently sleeping?" He motioned towards the dark circles under Harry's eyes.

Harry's eyes brightened with anger, "How were you supposed to notice? This is the first time you've spoken to me since I told you how that you were my _best friend!_ Think about that will you!"

Draco's jaw fell open, "Oh God. That's what you thought. Oh God. No. Harry that's not what any of this was about."

Madame Pomfrey saw the pain and hurt in both pairs of eyes and slipped out of the curtains to give them some privacy with a couple of silencing charms as a precaution.

Harry refused to look at Draco, "Whatever. You can leave now."

"No. Harry, listen to me. This has nothing to do with that… Well I guess to an extent it does, but not like you think!"

Harry remained silent.

"Harry! Think about what happened after that. The spell, the ritual? Do you remember what it said? The caster had to forgive the Dark Lord for _killing _their _family!_"

Harry still said nothing, if anything folding further into himself.

"Harry. You said you were going to do the spell. You said you forgave the Dark Lord for ruining every chance you had a semi-decent childhood. How on earth am I supposed to be your best mate?"

Harry turned his head slightly to look at the blonde.

"I can't even forgive the Dark Lord for living in my _house_! And here you were forgiving him for killing your _parents!_"

"What on Earth does that have to do with anything?"

Draco collapsed onto the bed next to Harry and grasped his hand in his own, "Do you know that I still get upset when I think about the way we fought?"

Harry frowned, "So do I. We spent so much time fighting and it was a waste of what seems to be a perfectly good friendship. I still get upset about it too."

A wry smile appeared, "Harry. I get mad at you for some of the things you said to me. I think of insults for you before I remember that we're friends now. I still have not forgiven you for half of the stuff you've done."

"But you will. You've forgiven so much. And you are _trying_ that's all that really matters."

Draco laughed, "See! That's my point. You Harry are too good for me, and I'm kind of worried that I am going to hurt you because I cannot be like you…"

Harry turned his hand so that he could grab Draco's hand where it was holding his, "I lived with Ron and Hermione as my best friends for almost six years. I have lived with the Dursley's for as long as I can remember. Dumbledore was my mentor for five of those years. How could _you_ possibly ruin me?"

Draco smiled gratefully. He lay down next to Harry and the boy shifted over until there was enough room for them to lie with their shoulders touching. Draco lay there looking up at the ceiling and decided that he was never going to be able to ignore Harry for long.

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You never did tell me why you were depressed."

"No. I suppose I didn't."

"And?"

Harry sighed, "It was you."

Draco rolled over on his side to look at Harry, "What do you mean?"

Harry avoided Draco's eyes, "I was abandoned by most of my friends when I was resorted. I love being in Slytherin even if I don't quite fit in. But you were the only person who was actually there for me, and you left too."

Draco felt as though someone had stabbed him in the heart. That was not what he meant to happen. The way that Harry's voice softened until it was little more than a whisper led Draco to believe that Harry actually felt that way.

"Harry! Oh no, no, no. That was not what I wanted you to think!"

"I know you did not. That's why I kept trying to get you to talk to me. I did not think you realized how I felt, but…" Harry took a deep breath, "you kept avoiding me."

"Shit. I was trying to-"

"I know. But that does not make it any easier," Harry laughed lightly, "I don't know how long it is going to take me to actually forgive you for this."

"Draco laughed, "What do you know, I finally found something that will keep you from being so forgiving."

Harry smiled and drifted off to the best sleep he had in weeks, Draco watching him before falling asleep as well.

(0,0)

With Draco's help, Harry started eating again. The two boys with Slytherin eyes were inseparable. They spent the next taking care of each other and talking. Mending bridges and healing wounds. Harry quickly forgave Draco, much to the blonde's amusement. Harry still did not completely trust Draco, but trust was something that could be earned back given time.

Exactly a week after they made up Harry got a note that threatened to destroy Harry's newly regained happiness. Dumbledore wanted to meet with Harry again and did not seem to be giving Harry any options.

So that Saturday and every Saturday after that, Harry walked into the headmaster's office and fell face first into memory after memory of Tom's old life. And every memory made Harry want to bring back the handsome young man who wanted so desperately to be safe and accepted. Harry quickly figured out the connections that they shared with respect to family and Hogwarts. The pain that comes from being forgotten, ignored, or abused by people who are supposed to care.

And as the end of the school year approached Harry's anger towards Dumbledore and the Order grew. He fell into an almost camaraderie with Snape and sat with him when forced to attend Order meetings, which Dumbledore had insisted on much to everyone (except Moody's) displeasure.

Harry watched with envy as Draco slowly fell in love with the Weasley twins, not that he ever mentioned it or admitted it. But the small smiles that curved his lips at the small gifts the twins sent him and the way that he laughed out loud while reading there letters, and the way he blushed whenever they were brought up in conversation, spoke louder than any words ever could.

The ex-Gryffindor yearned to find something like that for himself. The way that they fit seamlessly together while walking through the streets of Hogsmeade, one red head holding Draco's waist, the other his hand. It was the obvious devotion that fell from three pairs of eyes. Even if it was one pair too many for Harry, it was the idea that mattered.

Harry pushed himself towards better grades and struggled through his finals. He came out third in the class beating Draco in one final (Defense) and Hermione in two (Defense and Potions). The school year was ending and now he only had one last task to complete before the summer.

(0,0)

"Draco. I need to get close to him."

"No. No. And… Wait for it….NO!"

Harry groaned, this argument was going nowhere. "All you have to do is invite me over, tell Voldie or don't I really could not care less. But I need to get closer!"

"You don't even have the horcruxes yet."

"Dumbledore has been showing me the memories, I'll figure it out soon. Once I get them I'm going to need to get in."

"We'll talk about it then."

"Argh!"

Harry stormed off to finish packing. Kreacher had a room prepared for him at Grimmauld and was under firm orders to change the wards so that Harry alone could get in, regardless of the Fidelius. Draco was also given express permission to come and go, but that knowledge was for Kreacher, Draco, and Harry alone.

Throwing in his last pair of socks, Harry locked his trunk. He looked up at Draco before he passed by without another word to head to the Feast. The food was good as always and the company was better than usual once Draco had joined the table. The Hall was actually decorated in green and silver, surprising the Slytherins most of all. The last few months the teachers had seen Harry light up and become more joyful than ever. They had decided that Slytherins should not be punished because of their parents. Although no teacher outside the ex-Slytherins handed out an obese number of points, the other professors had stopped taking away points and that made all of the difference.

The dinner was gladly eaten, points announced, and desert devoured. Harry vaguely recalled that Hufflepuff had come in last, Gryffindor had been beaten by Ravenclaw, and Slytherin had come out on top by a small margin. He stepped into his dorm for the last time before summer and collapsed onto his bed. Between the argument with Draco earlier, his full stomach, the celebration of the house cup in the common room, and the late hour Harry was exhausted.

(0,0)

Harry woke up excessively early and attempted to go back to sleep. But for whatever reason his last dream was bothering him. With a sigh he sat up and got dressed. The sun had not risen yet, but it was 'late' enough that all of the teachers were in bed. The diamond tiara that he had seen reminded him of the one that he used to mark Severus' potion book a few weeks ago.

_Harry was studying for his defense test when Snape walked up to him in the library._

_"Mr. Potter, I just had a conversation that I found absolutely fascinating. It seems that Professor Slughorn views you as one of his best students."_

_Harry said nothing and kept his eyes locked with his professor's._

_"Imagine my surprise at that statement. I thanked him but of course asked if he was sure it was you. He told me how you had a book that was written in and annotated that you carried with you everywhere. Like a prized possession. Now of course I find myself curious. Mr. Potter, let me see your book."_

_"I left it in my dorm, sir."_

_"Very well, go and get it. Bring it to my office as soon as you do. I will be there shortly."_

_"Sir, it's not really all that annotated, I had one that I used at the beginning of the year, but I-"_

_"Now. Mr. Potter."_

_Harry nodded and ran off. It had not taken much for him to realize that Professor Snape was the Half-Blood Prince. He had a family tapestry up on his wall in his office the top of it held the name of his ancestral family, "The Prince Family." _

_But Snape would likely be furious with him for keeping the book, so he had devised a plan. A quick conversation with Draco had provided him with the blonde's copy of the book. Harry called Dobby to him and asked him to hide the other copy in the room of requirement. The elf happily nodded and took the book away with a crack. _

_Harry made his way to the dungeon office, Snape had opted out of using the one in the defense classroom. As he raised his hand to knock on the door, it flew inwards. Harry swallowed and stepped inside the room. Snape was standing a few feet away with his hand outstretched. Harry handed the book over without another word. Flipping through it, Snape became agitated._

_He slammed it closed, "This is _not_ the book you have been using. This one is practically brand new! Where is the copy you have been using?!"_

_"This is it, sir. As soon as my copy from Flourish and Blott's came in, I turned in my old one."_

_"Fine then Mr. Potter. You may go." Harry fled._

Harry shuddered at the memory. After fleeing the office he had gone to the Room of Requirement and hand called Dobby once again. Slipping up he hid the book on top of an old cabinet and placed a distinguishing bust with a blonde wig and silver tiara with it.

Harry remembered feeling as though his hands were vibrating when he picked up the crown, but had figured it to be some kind of practical joke. With a sigh he looked up to see that his feet had taken him to the aforementioned room. He stepped into the room, he might as well look while he was here.

Without hesitation he walked through the towers of hidden things and into the room. Deeper and deeper he went, not bothering to pay attention, until he stood in front of the cupboard. Rising on his toes he felt around on top. Fingers ghosted over the spine of the book but they kept moving. Without Harry's permission, his hands closed around the tiara and he felt something akin to relief at the contact. Without thinking about it too much Harry slid the tiara into his pocket and grabbed the book.

A quick trip outside the Head of Slytherins' quarters Harry asked the portrait if he could leave something for the Professor. The nod given a brick slid open next to the painting and Harry slipped the book inside. Padding back to the dorms Harry climbed unnoticed back into bed and fell asleep, tiara still in his pocket.

**I think that went rather well. Also just so everyone is aware, I did not include the Death Eaters breaking in or Dumbledore's for a reason. I promise that I will explain it. Oh and also Draco did not take the Mark yet. I know I should have mentioned that earlier, but once again I promise I will have an explanation and a reason later in the story. Sorry for any and all confusion! 3 you all, please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

Draco's frantic panicking woke Harry hours later.

"What is going on?" Harry mumbled still half asleep. Slipping his glasses onto his face.

"I can't find it!"

"What?"

"My cloak!"

Harry looked around bleary eyed before turning to look at Draco in disbelief.

"Your blue one? With the silver clasp? Black lining? Light enough to wear during the summer?"

"Yes! It's nowhere to be found!" He was tearing apart his trunk that he had spent hours packing yesterday.

Harry debated letting him suffer, but then he would have to listen to the complaints until they got back to London. With a sigh Harry pointed at one of the corners of the four poster.

"It's hanging up on the post, nitwit."

Draco froze and looked over his shoulder, sure enough there it was. Right where Draco had put it so that he could get to it easily this morning. Draco groaned and looked at the mess he had made with his trunk, thankfully Harry had stopped him already. Half of it was lying unfolded across the bed. He sighed and began packing again to the sound of Harry's laughter.

(0,0)

Summer started off casually enough. Alone at Grimmauld Place Harry and Kreacher were getting along remarkably well, more so than Sirius and the elf had anyway. With nothing much going on other than the occasional letters from Draco, Harry spent most of his time researching Tom Riddle and trying to find his horcruxes.

Dumbledore had mentioned something about a spell protected horcrux in a cave off of a beach, but Harry seriously doubted that anything good could come of going after that one. Small steps after all. He thought about what he would do, figuring that he would at least have a chance to figure out what Tom would have done.

He figured that Tom was probably as sentimental as Harry was, meaning that he would make them in honor of things he valued and believed in. First thing that Harry thought of was Hogwarts and family. It would make sense after all. He remembered all of the memories that Dumbledore showed him.

The Gaunt's were his only family and had a connection to Salazar so the ring also would fit with that. The diary was probably just a test run, but it preserved the Heir of Slytherin so it was connected too. The goblet was Hufflepuff's so that made a bizarre amount of sense if that was one of them. The only artifact of Gryffindor was the sword, but that was obviously safe or Dumbledore would have finished it by now. That left Ravenclaw… He would have to research that one. The last horcrux was easy enough of a guess, after all who did Voldemort possess last year? Nagini.

So it looked as though Harry would have to hope that the other five pieces would work towards allowing Tom to feel remorse, because Harry really did not want to die or kill Nagini. Harry dropped his head back onto the top of the couch. It looked like Harry was going to need to do even more research, he might need to find another ceremony for him and Nagini depending on how Tom's soul healed.

Aggravated Harry wrote quickly to Draco and Lucius asking if they had ever heard of Hufflepuff's cup. And if they had any ideas about what was considered important to Rowena. With a few more lines to complete the expected common courtesies Harry signed it with a flourish and sent Hedwig off to the Manor.

Apparently Voldemort had been pleased with the Malfoy boy's blossoming friendship with Harry and was delighted every time Hedwig flew through the wards. Harry decided that a happy Voldie was a better Voldie and sent Hedwig off as often as he could.

Task done Harry moved once more towards the library, Hogwarts books came down from the shelves and Harry scanned page after page on Rowena Ravenclaw, finding nothing. Her daughter, who it turns out was the Grey Lady, had a thing with the Bloody Baron while they were alive but nothing else interesting came up.

Harry figured that if he could at least get four of the horcruxes to return the soul shards they carried, perhaps the rest would come more easily. Or at least he could get the more than likely paranoid Dark Lord to do some of the leg work to reestablish his soul. Something told him a man who valued control as much as Tom Riddle would hate the fact that he drove himself crazy. Literally.

Feeling more at peace now that he had a plan, Harry called Kreacher to see if he could get lunch and waited for the Malfoys to respond.

(0,0)

Harry was having a good day. Lucius knew where Hufflepuff's cup was so that was easy enough. They knew nothing about Ravenclaw but a few well-placed questions in the pureblood circles led to the same answer. The lost diadem. Apparently Ravenclaw had a diadem of sorts that was meant to give a person more access to their brain in order to improve wisdom and such. Problem was that no one knew what it looked like, much less where it was.

Harry took it in stride. There was not much he could really do about it either way, just more research. Which had turned out yet another ritual for removing a piece of someone else's soul from your own. The problem was that Harry did not like pain. At all. And according to the book the longer the soul has been joined with their own the more painful it would be and the more likely it was to cause damage to the actual person's soul. Yeah not liking the option, but at least they had it.

Besides that it was nice out and Harry was heading out to go sit in the park to eat his lunch. So yeah. It was a good day. The neighbors raised a hand in greeting to Harry as he started walking down the street, Harry smiled and waved back although none of them actually knew who he was.

Lunch was wonderful. Just something small that he had made himself, sitting under the trees with a smile made it all the better. There was a cool breeze and the sound of people laughing nearby. Little kids were playing on the swings. The sun in his face, feeling the heat-

Until a shadow appeared out of nowhere.

With a sigh Harry looked up and saw that hooked nose of one familiar professor. With a groan Harry let his head fall back and bring the rest of him with it. Eventually he looked up from where he was lying to glare at the potions master.

"Hello, Professor. What brings you into my sunlight?" Snape shifted uncomfortably.

"I hope you've finished all of your research…"

Frowning Harry tried to ask what the man meant but was grabbed under his arm and led to a nearby alley. Not too far from Grimmauld Place for that matter. As soon as they paused Harry looked up at his professor and tried once again to ask.

The man looked as though he was in pain, "I am truly sorry, Mr. Potter."

And with that they were pulled into the familiar tube of apparition.

(0,0)

Harry landed with a stumble and glared again at his professor. Looking up he saw what he presumed to be the Malfoy Manor. Before he could move, Harry had his wand taken from him and placed inside the professor's pockets.

"Well I guess we know whose side you're on now." He was resigned and almost bitter, he had been growing to like the man.

Snape looked surprised at Harry's tone. "Yes. However, I doubt that the reasoning is known to you."

"How long until you are to inform the Order of my kidnapping?"

Snape snorted, "They already know. In fact I would not have taken you if Dumbledore himself had not insisted upon it."

Harry froze in mid-stride, "What? I don't understand…"

True he no longer trusted the man, but that did not mean that he expected this. Harry felt as though the world was crumbling beneath his feet. He looked up into surprisingly sympathetic eyes. Harry had always believed that Dumbledore would be there for him, even if he did not like the man's methods.

"The Dark Lord does not know that you were coming. I was told to tell the Order and wait for them to panic. Then we were going to attack Hogwarts while it is student-free to finish the Order. But Dumbledore had other plans. He told me to go ahead with the plan, which was not the plan and here you are."

"Bastard." Harry whispered and he felt his voice catch.

Snape gave him something that might have passed as a smile and began to lead him through the gates that turned to mist at his touch.

(0,0)

Harry was placed in a small but comfortable guest room while Snape went to talk to Voldemort. Harry was wandless and in the Dark Lord's headquarters. Suddenly the day was not going so well. He snorted at that thought. It was the first time he had been out of the house all summer, he was smiling and enjoying the laughter. Shows what the world was coming to. The house and its elf would be left alone again, suddenly a thought came to him, he needed to find out everything the elf knew, or at least tell him rules for the future.

"Kreacher."

A crack filled the air "What does young master wish?"

"I want to ask you a question. Sirius told me that you were close to Regulus before he died. Do you know anything about his service to Lord Voldemort?"

The house elf shuddered but gave a small nod, "Can you tell me?"

At first Kreacher looked resigned but then the phrasing of the question sank in and he gave what looked to be an appreciative look.

"Young Master reminds me of Master Regulus." He nodded, "Yes. Master Regulus was asked by the Dark Lord to send a house elf to assist him. Master told me to serve him and come home. I went I served, I came home. Please do not ask Kreacher to repeat what happened. I helped to hide the locket after that and Master Regulus never came home." The elf looked to be near tears.

Harry felt guilty for making the elf relive that. And suddenly his words sunk in, "Locket? Slytherin's locket?"

The elf nodded slowly as if unsure, "Did you destroy it?"

The elf suddenly looked pained, "I tried to. I punished myself often, but I could not destroy it! I failed Master."

Harry shushed the elf before his hysterics could attract attention. "That is alright. I want you to go and fetch the locket. When either Lucius or Draco Malfoy are alone, or with each other I want you to give them the locket. Tell them it is Slytherin's and that it is one of the seven. They will understand. They must be alone. Do you understand?"

"Yes Master."

"Good. Thank you Kreacher, you may go." The elf seemed happy with the praise and disappeared with a crack.

Harry collapsed against the wall with a sigh. His feet flat against the floor and thighs against his chest. Harry wrapped his arms around his knees and dropped his head forward with a sigh.

What the hell else could go wrong?

(0,0)

Turns out that is not the sort of question you should ask. At least that was what Harry decided hours later in a darkening room where he had yet to hear from anyone and was hungry. He had eventually migrated from the wall and onto the bed but the comfortable sheets were failing as a distraction from his thoughts.

Not a word from anyone. Order, Death Eater, or otherwise. In fact, it seemed as though they were determined to let him suffer alone. He grumbled to himself about the unfairness of it, but I truth could not bring himself to care.

Eventually Harry drifted off to sleep. Tossing and turning through most of the night. Until dawn neared and he stilled with a smile on his face.

(0,0)

Harry was standing in the Malfoy Manor's garden. He was dressed immaculately in a finely cut muggle suit. The dark green shirt was complimented by the black jacket and pants drew his eyes to his silver tie. Feeling confident Harry strode through the garden. He passed the Malfoy's with a smile. Draco returned it enthusiastically and Narcissa smiled as well. Lucius gave him something that could have passed as a smile but looked pained and worried. Shrugging it off, Harry continued on his way.

Immaculately cut flowers and hedges lined the path and Harry looked up at them with wonder. He turned down a side path to look at a fountain. Next to it he saw Dumbledore. Forgetting for an instant all of the betrayal he had felt earlier, Harry hurried towards his mentor. The man looked up as if Harry had called his name. Upon seeing the young Slytherin, Dumbledore sneered and lost all sense of familiarity as he turned and walked away without a word.

Stunned Harry stopped by the fountain. He turned to walk back the way he came and was surprised to see most of the Order there along with some of his friends. Harry gave a small smile and started to ask what was wrong with Dumbledore. Once again he was shocked to see everyone's reactions.

Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione gave him looks of disgust before walking away noses high in the air. Tonks dragged a struggling Remus along with her as she walked away with an apologetic glace. Kingsley looked horrified and backed away through a bush. Moody remained.

"I hope you are proud of yourself, boy. Your parents would have been absolutely horrified." He cast a spell at Harry which surprisingly missed. Moody disappeared. Turning to see what Moody hit he was faced with the Dursley's.

"Always knew you were a freak, boy!"

"I hope you did not harm my poor little diddykins."

"Get away from us, Freak!"

Harry backed away down a new path. The bushes no longer looked welcoming and Harry watched, horrified, as they morphed into the faces of people he loved. Each one yelling that he was a freak. No one wanted him. What was he thinking?

Harry ran. Down the path until he came face to face with his parents. James looked confused but gave a small smile of encouragement. Lily beamed at him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Harry was pretty sure he looked even more confused than James. Sirius came up to him then and Harry embraced him in a tight hug.

"Go on then, cub."

Sirius motioned for Harry to turn and Harry reluctantly turned his back to his parents. The sight in front of him stopped his heart. There was no way. He felt a smile cross his face as he crossed to the figure dressed similarly to Harry. The silver shirt and green tie contrasted with the bright eyes. The lovely smile and dark hair caused Harry to giggle. Blushing at the sound he chanced a look back into the man's face. The man was laughing at his embarrassment but Harry did not mind.

The tall man held out his hand and Harry rushed forward eagerly to take it. Once his hand was caught he was pulled closer into a tight embrace. Harry sighed as he felt lips press against his messy hair. Glancing up into red eyes he gave a smile.

"I love you, Tom Riddle."

(0,0)

Harry stretched out and sighed, that was quite possibly the best night's sleep he's had in years. Which was somewhat amusing seeing as it started with him being abandoned by basically everyone and then ended with him saying that he lo-

"Oh shit!" Harry sat up straight and ran a hand through his messier than usual tufts of hair.

He tried to control his breathing as he felt his body begin to go into shock. This was most definitely not okay. His eyes were wide as he replayed the last part of his dream over and over in his head. Apparently nightmares were not enough torture anymore.

The only thing left to do was to restore Tom to his seventy year old self so that he could stop being infatuated with the twenty year old version. Harry bitterly realized that Tom would have had the entire school crushing on him if he had managed to get the teaching job he wanted.

With a shake of his head he stood and moved into what appeared to be a bathroom. Judging by the toiletries and the clean towels use of the shower was expected. Not one to defy the expected (here Harry snorted to himself, "Yeah, right…") he stripped out of his dirty clothes and stepped into the shower.

The hot water cascaded over him causing a sigh from the now relaxed raven. His eyes shut as he rolled his neck dampening his messy hair until it fell straight and even. Distractedly he began to watch himself wondering why Voldemort had not come to face him. Surely killing him while he was a prisoner would be easy enough. Harry shrugged at least if he died that was one more piece they could reunite with Tom's damaged soul.

At that thought he grimaced. He was starting to sound like Dumbledore and his whole 'greater good' nonsense. Blanking his mind from all of the inappropriate thoughts he stood in the shower letting the hot water loosen his muscles. Eventually he turned off the water and reached for the towel. Drying off he wished somewhat that Voldemort had waited a month longer to kidnap him. At least then he could have had his wand and actually used it.

Drier than before he absent mindedly dried his hair while he looked at the clean pair of jeans and the button up shirt that most definitely were not his. Shrugging he pulled on the clean clothes. Judging by the tight fit, the clothes belonged to Draco. Although Harry admitted that they looked decent on him they were still too small. With a shrug he folded the towel and set it on the counter. He discovered a set of paper-back novels on the night stand and let out an excited squeal that he would later deny fervently. He had never read any of them before, but recognized them as muggle classics. With a happy sigh he settled on the bed. Laying on his stomach with the book open against a pillow Harry began to read.

(0,0)

Two days and three books later, Harry was bored again. No one had been in to see him. Not even a house elf. Although food and water appeared on a regular schedule Harry found himself missing human contact even more. He had called Kreacher back as soon as he woke up yesterday to hear that the locket had been delivered and a disturbing story about the Order.

He sat up and let his legs hang over the side of the bed. Tracing patterns on the floor with his bare feet he thought about everything that he had heard. According to Kreacher- Dumbledore told everyone that he was dead. The Order was apparently staying in the old headquarters. With that message Harry felt his last shred of belief in Dumbledore shatter. He told Kreacher to spy on them and not to tell them that he was alive until he said otherwise. He was to tell Snape, when he was alone, that Harry was fine. Everyone else could live in the dark.

He stood and walked around the room several times, trying to find something to occupy his mind. Blank walls did nothing and he walked back to the bed. Laying across the bed, feet barely off the floor he glanced around a little longer trying to find something to look at.

He settled for staring at the ceiling. Absently he traced the patterns he found in the paint and let his mind wander. Mostly he thought about Draco and the twins. They had been so happy earlier and he really wished that he knew what was happening with them. Before he had an easy time keeping up with the ups and downs because all three parties were writing to him about it.

It had seemed to be progressing steadily. Due to complaints from Draco and smug letters from the twins Harry knew that the Weasleys were torturing him with sexual innuendos and actions without actual doing anything. The twins hated the idea of Draco leaving them and were trying to keep him interested by denying him what he wanted.

Harry rolled his eyes at that. Draco was so smitten with the twins they could probably remain celibate forever and Draco would still be with them. Well… maybe not forever. They may be able to withhold the hormones for a couple more months before Draco broke and returned fire. He laughed at that. He had no doubt that Draco would refuse to be the one asking.

The blonde would turn the tables on them. The long robes would probably disappear for a week or so just enough to start driving them crazy. He would flirt with them and tempt them much as they were tempting him now. The attempts and actions would grow until- they stopped.

Then the robes would appear thicker and heavier than ever, covering everything the twins wanted to see. But the robes would be unbuttoned which would lead to tantalizing glimpses of the outfit underneath. All of the obvious flirtation would fall away, only to be replaced by subtle things such as moaning at delicious food. Everything would be turned innocently sexual.

Once all of that happened- Harry gave the twins less than a month. Draco was a Slytherin through and through. The two Gryffindors may have been close calls but nothing compared with a determined snake.

(0,0)

The door opened.

At first Harry thought he had imagined hearing the lock click. Even as the noise sent Harry off the bed and behind the door, he was wondering if he was crazy. Not a peep had been heard from the outside world in close to five days.

Then the door knob turned and Harry could not decide whether he should be terrified or relieved. As the door slowly opened a familiar voice called out.

"Harry?"

Relaxing Harry yanked on his side of the door causing the blonde on the other side to stumble gracelessly through the frame. Pulling the young Malfoy into an embrace he felt himself relax fully for the first time since his uncomfortable dream.

"Draco! You have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

"Yeah you too, Harry." Draco struggled against Harry's hold, "Now let me go."

"Oh. Sorry."

Harry blushed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Patting a place next to him he looked expectantly at the blonde. Draco let out an amused chuckle as he shut the door before joining the raven.

"So… Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but- Why the hell am I still alive?"

"The Dark Lord is on a mission and is not to be contacted until his return. Which should be tonight."

Harry gave a nod of understanding, "Do you have all of the supplies we need?"

Draco nodded.

"Good. What does he usually do when he comes back from a mission?"

"Goes to his room to 'freshen up' then about an hour later asks for the Inner Circle to report to him anything major. That is when we will _have _to tell him about you."

"Alright so I have an hour to complete the ritual. Do you know what destroys a horcrux? I'm ninety percent sure this will work, but just in case."

"Several things. I think the most accessible would be basilisk venom and Fiendfyre. We have some basilisk venom around here so that would probably be the best. Fiendfyre is really difficult to control."

Harry nodded and bent over to tie his shoes.

"There is one thing I'm wondering though. How in the hell are you going to get Voldemort to feel remorse?"

Harry shook his head and refused to look at Draco, "I'll tell you later. It's easy enough. Do you have the ritual ready?"

"Told you we did. We just need the horcruxes."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we only have the locket, Kreacher was really dedicated by the way he woke me up at 1 in the morning to give it to me."

Harry frowned, "What about the cup?"

"Father was going to get it today…"

"He needs to get it today. I am absolutely terrified that he is going to make this worse. I think that having half of his soul restored will help. I'm just glad that no one is sure if the soul is actually destroyed with the horcrux. I really hope I'm right and they are just looking for a way to rejoin…"

"Don't worry we'll get it. You'll be fine, you probably should get some more sleep before tonight though…"

Harry sat up straight again, "No. I'm fine, trust me."

Draco frowned and looked directly at the boy, "You're lying. I can see how tired you are. Why don't you want to sleep?"

"It's not that I don't want to sleep it's just," He looked up at Draco's disbelieving look, "- I had a dream that I really don't want to repeat."

"Voldemort?"

"More or less…"

"Alright. I'll have the house elf bring you Dreamless Sleep."

Harry shook his head and lay back throwing his arm over his eyes, "No. Dreamless Sleep will interfere with the ritual. I'll be fine."

"You will sleep though."

"Draco, I promise I'll be ready for the ritual."

The arm moved and green eyes peeked out from beneath dark lashes when Draco did not respond. He looked up and saw the wand pointed at him.

"Draco? What-"

"_Somno pressis._" With a horizontal sweep of his wand and a quick flick Harry fell back on the bed.

Closed eyes fanned the black lashes onto high cheek bones while even breaths caused his breath to rise and fall within his chest. For a long moment Draco watched the innocence that Harry showed while he slept. Parted lips and opened hands. Gently Draco moved him until he rested his head on the pillows and covered him with a blanket.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I'll wake you when he gets here."

**So I feel like my chapters are beginning to fall short. Any plot twists or suggestions are more than welcome and I am dreadfully sorry about how long it took me to post this chapter. It just would not write itself properly *grrr*. Anyway I love reviews and they always make me write faster. And in case I have not mentioned this yet- I do not own Harry Potter. It's surprising I know... Love you all! Please keep up the reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

Harry was in the gardens again. He looked around hopefully and saw Draco and the twins sitting together on a bench. They looked comfortable so Harry simply waved and moved on. There were some things that he just did not want to interrupt. He smiled as he thought about how happy they were. Moving through the lighter branches, avoiding all of the shadowed paths, Harry eventually found himself standing in front of a gazebo.

The white frame stood out among all of the green. Ivy traced along the white structure and brought a sense of nature to the pristine structure. He walked up the stairs and looked around and the marble flooring. It seemed a tad outrageous for something like this, but it was pretty so Harry decided to forget about it. He stood for a moment leaning over the side and watched the birds enjoy the garden.

Two warm arms wrapped around him from behind and he relaxed back into a warm chest. He heard a soft chuckle in his ear but no words were spoken as he looked out at the plants and animals. Harry marveled at the strength of the man behind him and titled his head as a chin rested on his shoulder.

At some point Harry heard music filling the air and turned to face the man holding him. He wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck and gestured with his head towards the open space behind him. The man smiled genuinely as he pulled the green eyed raven onto the marble floor.

Slowly they moved shifting back and forth more than actually dancing. But to Harry it was wonderful. A sigh had him resting against the toned chest and pulling himself closer to the taller man. He felt the press of lips against his hair and could not help the smile against the other man's shirt.

"Harry?"

"Yes, Tom?"

"Have you ever…" He seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to speak his mind.

"Just ask Tom, please?"

"Have you ever considered-Harry?"

Harry tilted his head to look at the man. He looked as confused as Harry felt.

"Harry?" Tom's eyes widened when Harry realized it was not him.

"Tom?"

"I love you, Harry. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But Tom I-"

"Harry!"

"It's okay, love. I'll see you soon."

"To-"

"_Excito!"_

(0,0)

Harry sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes as he tried to figure out what had happened. The dream came into his mind. He looked up from the blanket and glared at Malfoy.

"You really need to work on your timing."

"Better dream this time?"

All of the sudden the man in his dreams came to mind and Harry blushed furiously.

"Not really. Just as confusing and disturbing."

Draco snorted, "Yeah, I can tell."

Harry glared but Draco cut off his words, "He's here. We're waiting for you to start the ritual. You have 45 minutes until people start to show up."

Swearing Harry jumped from the bed. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

"I _tried!_ Your stupid magic was blocking my waking spell. I called your name for at least ten minutes before I was able to break through your shields."

Harry froze as the implications set in. Why had Draco been unable to wake him?!

"Come on. Time's a wasting!"

Harry followed Draco from the room confusion still running through his mind.

(0,0)

Soon Harry found himself in what appeared to have been a spare room. Now it was empty of everything. The bare walls were dark and the floor was covered with runes and candles along with several horcruxes. Harry swallowed nervously. He knew what was probably going to happen, but that did not mean he was going to like it. Lucius nodded at him and motioned him towards the center of the room as Draco shut the door behind him.

Harry soon found himself standing in a nearly complete circle of runes. With the cup, the locket, and the remains of a journal at his feet. He felt the circle close, magic flaring around him as Lucius finished the runes and shut Harry inside. Lucius looked at him question clear and Harry gave him a determined nod. It was time to start the ritual.

Harry stood patiently as Lucius began to read out the runes so that Harry could repeat them. Every couple of runes Draco lit a candle and set it down behind wherever Lucius was standing at that moment. Lucius and Draco continued to circle around him.

Soon the last candle was lit. As Lucius' voice faded in the echoes of flickering light Harry took several deep breaths. Draco looked expectantly at the boy in the circle. Harry breathed deep one last time and began to change the memorized Latin words.

Lucius' eyes widened as he translated Harry's words. Seconds later Draco's own eyes lit up with understanding, quickly followed by concern. In his panic the younger Malfoy moved forward as if to break the circle and pull Harry free. Without hesitation Lucius caught Draco's hand and stopped him with a shake of his head.

Fear was written in Draco's eyes as the Slytherin turned to face his best friend. Harry noted it all even as the words continued to fall from his lips. Suddenly the connection he shared with Voldemort ripped open. Harry felt Voldemort's fury and Tom's pain. He felt the words morph into screams even as the Latin continued.

Just as suddenly it all stopped. The final words were spoken as Harry stood swaying in the middle of the circle. The room suspended for a heartbeat as Harry breathed out the final phrase. Then a blast of air flew from the center of the room wiping away the runes, blowing out the candles, and flinging the Malfoy's against the far wall. Harry collapsed and began writhing in shared pain.

Draco recovered first. Casting the reviving spell towards his father he hurried towards Harry. Sitting next to the raven the young Malfoy adjusted Harry until he was laying with his head on the blonde's lap. The younger boy stopped squirming as Draco's soothing words broke through the pain. He blinked up into grey eyes as Lucius stumbled closer.

"Did it work?" His voice was scratchy and he reached up a hand to rub his throat.

Draco shrugged. He had no idea how it went and frankly he really did not care. He was just glad that Harry was alright. He felt the tears in his eyes and tried to force them back. He knew Harry had a bad habit of self-sacrifice, but this was simply ridiculous. He remembered the words Harry spoke and choked on his tears. He ran a hand through Harry's messy hair before giving into the tears. Still moving his fingers through black strands, he hid his face in the smaller boy's neck.

Lucius felt his body shaking. Between the adrenaline and fear that had come from understanding Harry's spell and the relief at hearing his voice his body was easily going into shock. He managed to walk over to the two young Slytherins and collapsed next to them. He sat there for a long moment. Draco was still trying to hide his show of emotion and Lucius rubbed soothing circles into his back. Harry himself was trying to ignore the pain the Draco's sobs were sending through his abused body. Seeing Harry's eyes, Lucius let out a breath of exasperation while fondly shaking his head at the teenagers.

"Potter," green eyes looked up at the Death Eater, "You do realize that Slytherin was supposed to beat that stupid martyrdom out of you, right?"

Harry let out what might have been a chuckle. His response was cut short.

"No. I don't suppose he did."

Three pairs of terrified eyes looked up at the now open door. Voldemort stood there in his snake-like glory, trembling so hard he needed to hold onto the door frame.

Red eyes locked with Harry's green, "What have you done to me?"

With that the two Malfoys watched as eyes rolled backwards and two men know lay passed out on the floor. Terrifying though it was to see Voldemort collapse, both blondes felt relieved to know that they still had a while until they were murdered.

"We should probably move them somewhere more comfortable; where they won't be seen. This would start panic among the Inner Circle."

Lucius nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose, "So we move them… somehow…" He gave the white form of his Dark Lord an apprehensive look, "And go find your mother."

"Right. Why don't we ask- Mother?" Draco blinked up at his father, "Why do we need to get Mother?"

"These two are not going to be happy when they wake up. In fact, with how much pain they were in, I am voting for miserable. The Dark Lord is sure to be a _wonderful_ person when he wakes. And from the stories I have heard about Harry's temper…"

Draco shuddered, "Right, get them safe and find Mother. Preferably before they wake."

(0,0)

"What the hell did you do to me?!" The furious Dark Lord faced the sixteen year old wizard.

"I was trying to _help _you! You ungrateful son of a b-"

"Don't talk back to me! None of this would have happened if you would just die already!"

The shouts echoed down the hall when the two half-bloods woke. Draco had given up when his one entreaty for _talking_ had been received with two glares attempting silent _Avadas _his direction. Stepping back with his hands raised, Draco prayed his mother would arrive soon while cursing Lucius for leaving his heir with these terrors.

Both men were currently wandless and separated by a magical barrier cast by the ever considerate Lucius. This led to them resorting to throwing non-expensive objects at the barrier and angry curses at each other. Just as Draco reached the point of silencing the Dark Lord (Damn the consequences) Narcissa opened the doors. Draco sighed in relief and collapsed against the nearest wall. Without a word she walked between the two wizards and pulled up her own seat opposite the door.

"Would anyone like some tea?"

Thrown off by the question all three wizards nodded and sat down without saying anything. Draco was thankful and joined Harry on the couch he had chosen, not quite ready to risk something like that with the Dark Lord. A house elf appeared and left a tea tray behind with a slight bow to everyone present.

Narcissa poured everyone a cup as they spoke their preferences. When everyone had their tea in hand Narcissa took a sip of her own. Everyone was slightly more relaxed as she turned towards her son.

"Now, Draco do you mind telling me what exactly got these two so riled up?"

"Narcissa, I must tell you that I was cursed by the little demon. Of course your family assisted-"

"I was trying to help him and he blames me for everything when really it is all his fault!-"

Narcissa raised her hand and two of the most powerful men to walk the earth fell silent.

"I do not believe that I was speaking to either of you. Draco?" Her harsh tone had both men looking at the floor.

Draco swallowed some more tea and his laughter, most of it anyway, "Harry wished to know the man he was killing and not the insane man he had become. He's been researching horcruxes for almost a year now and was trying to find a way to reverse them," the Dark Lord looked furious at the raven who merely stuck his tongue out at the older man, "Very mature there. Anyway, Harry was trying to find Ravenclaw's diadem before conducting this ritual. But the plan had to be moved up because Severus had to kidnap Harry, after the Order abandoned him. He did, collapsed in agony, you came in collapsed in agony. And here we are."

Draco hurried to drink his tea. Harry gave him an amused look before turning to look at Voldemort.

Narcissa looked at Harry, "Is that what happened?"

Harry shrugged, "Basically. Although I would like to point out that the 'agony' was all Tom's I just got the backlash of it. Oh and that I now officially abandon the Order. They can throw themselves off the nearest cliff for all I care."

Narcissa turned to face the Dark Lord, "Do you have any questions my Lord?"

Voldemort had his head cocked to one side as he looked at Harry. He seemed to be running through everything in his head and apparently hit a point where it no longer made sense.

"What spell did you use along with the ritual?"

Harry looked startled, "What? No questions about your precious horcruxes? Aren't you worried about your soul? I mean your immortality is at stake here."

Voldemort frowned, "Do not try to distract me. Whatever you have done to my horcruxes is done. If all else fails I can make more. What spell did you use?"

Harry sank back into the couch and looked at the floor, mumbling his answer.

"Potter! You will tell me- What have you done?"

"I opened the connection between our minds completely." His eyes remained on the floor.

"Why?"

"I was hoping that it would give us the ability to feel each other's emotions."

"And again I ask- why?"

"I can feel remorse. I wanted to help you feel remorse."

Voldemort blinked.

"I gave you back your soul. Or at least got you started on repairing it. The ritual needed to be done by someone you've wronged. Someone who was affected by the creation of your horcruxes." Voldemort was silent, "I used your horcruxes to help me, and then I opened the connections between our minds so that you would feel remorse. It said that the closer you were the better the chance that it would work."

Voldemort and everyone remained silent, so Harry continued to babble.

"I was going to try to use all of your horcruxes, in fact I got pretty close to that. I know _what _all seven are but I don't know _where _they are. And with no way to get the Diadem it was okay, but it would have been impossible to get Nagini or the ring. And so-"

"Potter." Voldemort's voice was dangerously soft, "Two questions come to mind. Why could you not get the ring?"

"Dumbledore destroyed it. And he is dedicated to wearing it at all times."

Voldemort nodded, "Alright now tell me- What the hell makes you think I have _seven _horcruxes?"

Harry blinked, "Because you do."

"And what are these _seven_?"

"The journal, the ring, the locket, the cup, the diadem, Nagini, and…" Harry cut himself off.

"Exactly. Those six are the only ones I made. The seventh I was going to make using your death. Which sadly never came about."

Harry said nothing.

Draco fidgeted.

Narcissa took a sip of tea.

Voldemort blinked.

"How did you restore my soul anyway? _I_ have to feel remorse. If I could feel someone else's remorse it would have been restored long ago with how many minds I have occupied."

"Your soul has to feel the remorse, not your mind." Harry's voice was quiet.

"Fine then. My _soul_ needs to feel _remorse._" He sounded disgusted by the thought. "How could _your_ remorse restore _my_ soul?"

Silence reined and suddenly Voldemort grew impossibly paler.

"No. You're wrong."

Harry sighed, "It all fits. Trust me, I went through the whole why does the world hate me bit too. I researched until my fingers were covered in paper cuts. The connection between us, my ability to see into your mind, the visions you can send me, my ability to speak parseltongue."

"No. I was not going to make _you _a horcrux. I was going to use your _death_ to make a horcrux."

"Your magic made the choice. I'm sorry you're disappointed by the results. In case you're wondering, so am I."

"Harry," Narcissa was frowning at the raven.

"Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Malfoy. If you do not mind I am afraid that I may have to impose upon you and your hospitality a little longer. I appear to be homeless at the moment because of my regrettable death at the hands of one Tom Riddle. The Order has taken my home as their headquarters."

"Harry."

Harry stood and walked to the door before turning to face them.

"Mrs. Malfoy, Draco." He gave them each a nod before turning to look at Voldemort, "Snake-like."

"Potter!" Harry glared and walked out.

Voldemort went to stand, but was surprised by the sight of a worried Draco Malfoy.

"All of the shit he has gone through. Trying to make sure that he did what was right. Pushing against what was expected, turning away from his mentor. All of his friends abandoned him. He did all of this research to save the man who basically ruined his life. He gave up part of himself to know everything. He can forgive anyone for anything. It's terrifying and beautiful all at once."

All of the sudden Draco stopped, his mouth fell open as he looked over at his mother and then back at the Dark Lord.

"Forgive me, my Lord. I was out of line. I will not let my emotions get the best of me again."

Draco quickly followed Harry's footsteps and left the room. The Dark Lord and Narcissa sat in the room for long moments before the Dark Lord broke the silence.

"The boy did it. He restored my soul."

"How do you know, my Lord?"

"Because I have not felt like this since before I first came to Hogwarts."

He stood and began to leave the room, Narcissa stopped him.

"Felt like what my Lord?"

He sighed and placed a hand against his stomach, "Guilty, Narcissa. I feel guilty."

The Dark Lord left the room.

(0,0)

Harry was back in the 'guest' room that he had been held in the last week. It was not something that he particularly liked. But it seemed that he had nowhere else to be at the moment. He was still upset by the revelation of Dumbledore this last week. Dumbledore had lied to him.

Not that it was a particularly new occurrence. Harry had things kept secret from him for years now. Like the fact that Sirius was not the one who betrayed his parents. That one was probably the worst. The fact that he had kept Harry absolutely petrified that year of a man who really was his godfather was slightly upsetting.

Although if he was going to be honest, he had not believed Snape at first. It had seemed too ridiculous to be true. The man who was going to use him to defeat Voldemort was turning him over to be kidnapped. Really? Coming to this conclusion had caused him to once more enlist Kreacher's help. And he had regretted the result.

Once burned, twice shy. Harry had kept the fact that he was alive a secret. And for once he understood keeping secrets from people. Kreacher had relayed a conversation of Dumbledore's. Harry had been kidnapped and was probably dead. Snape had forewarned him but he had been unable to do anything about it. Harry's death was regrettable but, considering all of his actions and decisions that past year, perhaps it was better this way. And that was it.

No search was sent out for the Chosen One. No one tried to find his 'body' for a proper burial. They all accepted Dumbledore's word and that was it. Harry remembered a time when he would have done the same.

He actually really felt for Snape in his position. He really had no choice but to deliver Harry back to the Dark Lord. Harry snorted, for once both of Snape's 'masters' wanted the same thing. Must be a relief for him. Figures that the first time they would agree would be when it resulted in Harry's death.

A knock came on his door and Harry walked over to open it. On the other side stood someone who Harry quite frankly did not expect.

"May I come in?"

"Of course, Vold-Tom… What do you want me to call you?"

Voldemort chuckled, "Well I guess you should probably start calling me Tom. I know 'my Lord' will never sit well with you."

Harry grinned, "Probably not."

Harry led the way over to the bed and motioned for Tom to join him on the mattress. Tom hesitated but slowly walked over until he was sitting at the opposite of Harry. Harry rolled his eyes but did not move from his spot by the headboard. Tom spent a couple of minutes looking at his hands and fiddling with his fingers.

"Tom? Tom? Tom."

The man was trapped in his thoughts, or was ignoring the boy next to him. Either way, it had to stop. Harry reached out a hand and wrapped it around Tom's. Tom's red eyes looked at him in surprise. Harry gave him a small smile. Harry pulled one hand away from the other one and gave it a small squeeze.

Tom gave something that sounded like a laugh but was bitter. Harry tilted his head in an unspoken question. Tom sighed and looked up at the teen sitting next to him. He turned his hand over until it gripped Harry's hand back.

"Harry? You might stand a chance with improving my sanity. Earlier Draco said something and it made me- well… I guess I just wanted to say that I am… sorry."

The word sounded forced and strained but Harry was more interested in the word itself. He blinked for a few times and then tried to pull back his hand away from Tom's. Tom gripped him tighter and tried to look at Harry's expression. Eventually Harry laughed. A full laugh that startled the unshakeable Dark Lord.

When the laugh settled down he turned to look at the man in front of him. He still had a smile when he glanced up at his face. He gave another small chuckle and squeezed the hand in his once more before pulling his hand away.

"Why are you laughing?"

Harry looked down at his hands in his lap, "I never thought that I would hear you say that."

"I do mean it. In my defense I never wanted you to grow up like this. I did want you dead after all."

Harry smirked and shook his head, "The point is that: I already forgave you."

Tom blinked, "What? How?"

"I forgave you. You were not in your right mind, obviously, and you were trying to protect yourself. I don't necessarily agree with your methods." He cast a teasing grin over at the Dark Lord, "But I understand, and that let me forgive."

Tom stared at the man in front of him and for the first time he actually understood what Draco meant. Harry could forgive him for killing his parents. Was there anything that he would not forgive?

"Draco has a very high opinion of me." Tom looked up at Harry in surprise, apparently he spoke out loud, "There are things that I can't forgive, and I have no intention of even trying to do so."

"Like what?"

"Bellatrix. She killed my godfather. He was the only family I had left, a connection to the parents I lost, and he had asked me to live with him. But because of your vision about him I led him to his death. Bellatrix threw the curse though, and I can't forgive her for that."

"That's it?"

"It used to be. But now with Dumbledore turning against me." Harry wrapped his arms around his center and looked at the other wall, "I started disagreeing with what he wanted. I started thinking on my own. I knew that he would not approve but he did more than that. He threw me away. If I wasn't his 'Golden Boy' I was not good enough."

Without thinking about it Tom lifted his arm as though to rest it on Harry's shoulders. When he realized what he was doing. He was trying to comfort the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Make-His-Life-Miserable. He stood from the bed.

"You should probably get some sleep."

Harry nodded, not noticing anything strange. He let his head fall onto the pillow. Tom went to leave without a word but was stopped by Harry's whisper.

"Tom? I just wanted to say thank you. For listening to me whine, but mostly for saying sorry. It means a lot to me."

Tom walked out of the door. And Harry went to sleep.

(0,0)

Voldemort had a meeting with his Inner Circle. He was already late but what were any of them going to say about it. They were all mingling among each other when he finally walked into the room. He frowned when he realized that he did not care.

They all were pale and silent as he moved to sit in his throne. For good reason. An hour ago Voldemort would have put half of them under the torture curse within seconds of walking in and seeing them being so 'disrespectful' to him. Now though, he found it reasonable. After all- he had been late.

Shaking it off, he settled with a glare that was extremely effective with his red eyes as he settled into his seat. His stupid renewed soul was going to prove problematic in the near future. As he looked at each member individually he was met with eyes of people who had been with him for years. Some of them had chosen to follow him before his 'defeat' in Godric's Hollow. Some of them were following family tradition to follow him.

He called for reports from everyone and was gratified that everyone gave him only the essential and useful information for once. Severus admitted to the complication with the Order and confirmed what Harry had said earlier about the Order abandoning their Savior. He was about to dismiss everyone, reminding them that their failures would be punished and that no one else was supposed to attack Potter in anyway while he was in Malfoy Manor, when he felt a fire explode inside his skull.

He buried his face in his hands and was confused. He told everyone to leave without moving from his position. When the last crack of apparition faded away Voldemort raised his head and conjured a mirror. His mouth fell open as he stared at his reflection. Still ghastly white, bright red eyes, and no hair. But now he had something.

He reached his hand towards his face and sure enough. There was his nose.

**HeeHee! Voldie with a nose! I hope you are all enjoying this and I am sad to see that I am losing a lot of readers :( I love all of you though! Any complaints are welcome! And can I just say that I stick my tongue out at all of the Order members? Let me know what you think of Tom's actions with a soul! I'm trying to keep it somewhat sensible! Please review, they make me feel like people care about the story, even the critical ones. Thank you!**


	11. Chapter 11

Voldemort came stomping into Harry's room. Uncaring if the boy was awake or asleep he slammed the door closed behind him. Harry sat up abruptly and managed to fall out of the bed still tangled in the sheets. Without waiting for him to get up, Voldemort moved until was standing in front of the boy.

"Do you see what you have done to me?!"

Harry patiently untangled the sheets from his legs before he looked up at Tom. He cocked his head to one side and then the other.

"No. What did I do?"

"I have a nose!"

"… Is that a bad thing?"

"Is that a bad thing? Of course it's a bad thing! I look absolutely ridiculous with a nose." He folded his arms and stared at the boy who caused all of this.

Harry mad a noise that sounded like he was choking. Within a couple of seconds Harry was laughing his head off and Voldemort was losing his temper.

"Idiot child! What the hell is wrong with you?! This is not amusing."

"To-Tom. You're pouting!" Harry collapsed into giggles again.

Voldemort sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. He ran his hand over his face, over his _nose_, and groaned. Harry's laughter eventually stopped and the boy stood in front of the Dark Lord.

"I'm sorry, Tom. I did not realize how much this was actually upsetting you." He paused and sat down next to the man, "Why is it bothering you?"

"It's not!"

"Tom…" Harry warned, dragging a sigh from Tom.

Red eyes looked up at Harry, "Because I can't control it. My body is changing and I don't know why. I have no idea if I can stop it or not…" He trailed off and looked at the floor.

"I think I know why."

Tom's eyes flew back to his, "Really?"

Harry nodded, "I think that it has to do with your soul again. I thought that it might happen. No one has done it before so I went through the theory behind it, or rather developed the theory. Your soul is about who you are."

Tom waited for Harry to get his thoughts in order.

"You created the journal when you were sixteen, right?" A nod, "The cup, the ring, and the locket were from before you became Voldemort as well?" Another nod, "Right. So my theory is that your body is now searching for a balance with your soul. Since four out of the five pieces were from before you were Voldemort, I have a feeling a few more changes will be coming your way."

Tom stared at the wall for a long minute before nodding, "That makes some sense I suppose."

He paused then took a deep breath and looked up at Harry, "Do you want to restore the rest of my soul, too?"

Harry was caught off guard by the sudden question, "I want you to decide that. You could still be immortal if you kept them. You seem to be less insane at the moment, I'm sure your followers will appreciate that."

"Not the question. Do _you_ want me to restore the rest of my soul?"

Harry shifted on the bed slightly before looking up at Tom, "I don't know Tom. I want you to be happy. I know that you have fought for your immortality for so long that giving it up would probably seem cruel to you. Would I like for you to restore your soul completely? Yes. Do I want that? Not really."

"Alright." Tom stood suddenly and walked towards the door.

His hand was opening the door when a though occurred to him. He absently reached into his pocket and fingered what was in there. The turned to look at the boy on the bed, still watching him. He pulled the item out of his pocket and held it out in the palm of his hand.

"I thought you may want this."

Harry smiled as he reached out to take back his wand. "Thank you, Tom."

Tom snorted and turned away, "You need to be able to defend yourself. I gave the order that you are not to be harmed, but some of them are a little slow on the uptake."

Harry smiled, "Of course. Thank you anyway."

In a swirl of robes the red eyed man disappeared through the open door. Harry smiled to himself and he decided that he rather hoped that the man kept his red eyes as he changed.

(0,0)

Draco appeared in Harry's room with a loud crack. In response Harry found himself on the floor again, this time his wand was pointed at the intruder. Draco looked around for Harry and laughed when he saw him on the floor.

"What is it with you Dark wizards and knocking people out of their beds?"

Draco looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Harry waved it off, "Tom did the same thing earlier. Now, what do you want?"

The blonde stood still for a moment as he processed the name. "Whatever. You need to come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"My room."

Harry stared at him incredulously, "You apparated from your _room?!_"

"This is a large Manor and we're going back the same way."

Without another word a pale hand gripped Harry's arm just below the edge of his sleeve and he was pulled into the familiar sensation of apparation.

Dropping back into reality, he saw a room that caught him off guard. Everything was mix matched. Every couple of feet there was a sudden spot of a new color. Draco walked over to a large dark brown walk in closet. He disappeared for several long minutes before coming out with two armfuls of clothes.

He laid them all on the green bed for a moment, two of the outfits were banished to the closet upon further examination. The he flicked his wand at the remaining clothes and they flew to hang mid-air. He frowned and flicked his wand again, pieces of clothing switched between outfits. Several more flicks and Draco seemed to be satisfied. He turned to Harry.

"What do you think?"

Harry blinked, "About what?"

Draco gave a sigh that clearly stated he was among idiots before stating slowly, "Which outfit should I wear?"

"For what?"

"My date with the twins! For goodness sakes, pay attention!"

"To what? You brought me here, organized your clothes, and now are asking me to help you pick an outfit when I don't even know where you are going."

"The twins are taking me out to a restaurant in muggle London. I don't recognize the name, but it seemed like it was kind of a big deal."

"What was it called?"

Draco let the name fall inconsequentially from his lips and Harry missed the chair he was about to sit in.

"Are you alright Harry?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"About what?"

"I knew their store was successful but that's just, wow."

"What are you talking about?"

"That restaurant is _the_ restaurant. You have to book weeks in advance to get a table. And saying that it is not cheap is an understatement."

"…Maybe I should back out then. I don't want them to feel pressured about this."

"Absolutely not!" Harry stormed over and picked out an outfit. "Where this one. Classy and it'll make you look fantastic. They went through a lot for you, you are going."

That done Harry stormed out of the room, Draco blinked at the outfit in his hands before smiling at the choice and lazily flicking his wand at the others so that they would fly back to their spots in the closet. He was heading into the bathroom to get ready when Harry poked his head back through the doorway.

"You had better be ready in two hours, the twins will be. I just wrote them a letter saying how excited you were about tonight. Do not turn me into a liar."

And with that Harry closed the door again. Draco stared at the door for a long moment before laughing at the ex-Gryffindor. Apparently the Slytherins had rubbed off on him after all.

(0,0)

Draco was nervous and Harry was very much amused by his predicament. The twins had agreed when Draco pointed out that meeting in the same house as half of Voldemort's Death Eater's was probably not the best idea. So Harry had suggested meeting just outside of Little Whining. From there it would be easy enough to slip into some tree around the park and apparate to London.

The problem was that the twins were late. Or at least they were as far as Draco was concerned. Meaning Draco was there ten minutes early and the twins were not. Harry rolled his eyes as Draco switched between fretting, ranting, and panicking. Draco was no longer listening to him. So he sat down.

Sitting on the bench gave Harry a perfect view. He could see Draco pacing and killing the grass. And he could see the trees where the twins were going to show up. Harry remembered their response to his letter. Apparently, Draco had forgotten to mention that he was still alive during all of his letters to them… oops! They had insisted that Harry come with Draco so that they could see that he was alright.

Not that that was any consolation for Draco. Five minutes of ranting later, a loud crack caught Harry's attention. Unfortunately, Draco missed it and was still ranting about how unfair it was for them to make him wait. Before moving to the blonde they pulled Harry into a tight hug.

"I'm fine guys, go." Harry motioned for the twins to calm Draco.

They seemed a little nervous when they heard him, but looking at the blonde both of them were stunned. Harry could not say that he blamed them. Draco was dressed impeccably, but right now Harry's attention was on the twins.

Fred (possibly) was wearing a light grey shirt with a dark red tie. Black trousers and looked far more sophisticated than a practical joker had any right too. George (more than likely) was dressed in a maroon shirt and a silver tie. With dark grey pants and a matching jacket.

They looked fantastic. Or rather they would if it was not for the open mouths and slight drool that formed as they were watching the Slytherin who was currently pacing as though nothing had changed. With his light grey trousers and matching jacket, emphasized with a striped tie over a dark blue shirt. He looked great as well.

Harry cleared his throat and three pairs of eyes turned to him. Suddenly Harry felt uncomfortable. Standing in jeans and an old shirt among the three well-dressed men. You could say that he felt out of place. Grinning slightly he motioned between the three. The twins smiled and Draco blushed.

"Are you ready? Our reservation is in a couple of minutes."

Draco nodded, "I'm ready."

The three shared a shy smile and Harry grinned at how they looked. They actually looked like they were in love with each other. Harry pushed away the small twist of jealousy at the thought. He shook his head at the three of them.

"So maybe you should go? Instead of just staring at each other?"

All three looked sheepish again. Harry laughed. Draco walked over and punched him in the arm before pulling him into a brief hug.

"Thanks." He whispered in Harry's ear before looking towards the twins, "So which one of you is taking me to the restaurant?"

"Well I won the coin flip." Fred(?) stepped forward and reached for Draco's arm.

"Granted it was a trick coin, but it counts right?" George muttered, Fred's grin was unrepentant.

Draco shook his head at them before locking his arm with Fred's. "See you tonight, Harry."

"Don't be out too late." Harry teased.

"Yes, mum." Draco rolled his eyes and the twins laughed.

With a loud crack the twin disappeared with Draco. George saluted Harry with a laugh before turning on the spot to go meet his brother and their date.

Harry took a moment to look around the park. He was somewhat tempted to go see his aunt and uncle's house. But it was probably better to avoid something like that. With a sigh he went to sit on the swings on the nearby playground. He did not exactly want to go back to the Manor. Not yet anyway. Too many things were on his mind, or rather people.

Ron and Hermione had been his best friends. They were by his side since that first Halloween, Ron even longer. Mrs. Weasley was like a mother to him, well more like an aunt. Then all that he had to do was befriend Draco and suddenly he was an enemy. Date Malfoy and he was now friendless. They were not the only ones to turn on him.

Why did Dumbledore turn on him? All of those secrets and plans. Harry had been left in the dark and expected to follow every order. The one time he goes his own way he is turned over to Voldemort.

Voldemort had become surprisingly decent. Not to say that he was 'normal' in any sense, but he was getting better. According to Lucius the man had only cast the torture curse once since they had repaired his soul. Plus it was brief and apparently not as long or as painful as usual. He had carefully emphasized that it was because the man had offered to torture Harry for the Dark Lord.

Lucius and Draco were confusing too. Along with Snape. Three people who had hated him for as long as he could remember. Lucius had tried to kill him multiple times, Draco and Harry had fought viciously for years but now they were almost as much a part of his life as the ginger family was.

Harry's musings were interrupted by the sudden crack of apparation. Pulling his wand from his pocket he held it tightly as his eyes scanned the trees. Loud steps came from behind him and Harry tensed before spinning with his wand up.

His wand was pointed at the well-defined chest of someone who looked to be about his age. A good head taller than him though. The muscles stretched beyond his chest and into developed arms. He was actually somewhat attractive. Blond hair and nice eyes-

"H-Harry?"

Harry blinked, "Dudley?"

"What are you doing here? We were waiting at King's Cross for you." All of the sudden his fore head bunched as he frowned, "Wait. We got a letter saying that you were dead."

Harry scowled but put his wand back down by his side, "Of course, you did. But I'm not. Someone at the school lied to everyone. Sorry for making you guys come down to King's. I did not even think to let you know that I was not coming back."

Dudley shrugged, "I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who notices that you are not there anymore."

Harry laughed at that, "No one to beat up?"

"It's not that. Look I kind of wanted to say thank you for last summer. I know you got a lot of shit for that, especially from my parents."

Harry knew he was staring like an idiot, but that was not close to what he was expecting.

"Harry?"

"Sorry. I never would have expected…"

"I know. But I guess I really was worried that you were always going to remember me as that big bully."

"You kind of are."

Dudley laughed, "Guess so. But it's a little bit more organized now. I really enjoy boxing."

Harry grinned, "I'm just glad that I'm not your punching bag anymore."

"Sorry about all of that. I think it was mostly my-"

"Parents. Don't worry about it. I got away mostly unharmed. A little underweight, but otherwise…"

"I gotta run, but if you ever want to start over give me a call. I have a cell now, here." He pulled out a pen and wrote his number on Harry's hand, "This way you don't have to worry about my parents."

Harry looked at the number for a moment, "You know what, I think I might do that. You should probably get back before Aunt Petunia comes looking for you. She would flip if she saw me."

"Take care, Harry." He held out his hand and Harry grasped it briefly.

"You too, Big D." A soft chuckle reached his ear as the taller boy walked away.

Harry shook his head. That's one more person who decided to change and mess up his life. Harry decided to walk a little further away from the park before going back to the Manor. He only made it a couple of feet beyond the edge of the trees before he saw a flash of red light.

(0,0)

Harry groaned as he sat up in a familiar room. He had totally forgotten about the wizard in the woods. Dudley had completely distracted him. Glancing around he felt panic rising as he realized why the room was so familiar. He was back in his room at Grimmauld Place.

Harry sat on the edge of his bed with his hand cradled in his hands. This was the last thing he needed. Thinking quickly he decided on a plan. A piece of parchment soon held a letter of emergency to Lucius and Draco. Hopefully they would be able to figure out how to get him out of here. But first he needed to find Hedwig or someone else to carry the letter.

He pushed it into his pocket as he left the room to go to the kitchen. Judging by the noise and the light outside the window, it was breakfast time.

He managed to walk down the stairs although apparently he had been hit by a strong stunner because he was still a little groggy. He took a deep breath as he paused outside of the kitchen door. Leaning in he tried to catch some of the conversation.

"I couldn't leave him there. He's supposed to be dead! I want to know why he isn't dead!" Good to know Ron still had his priorities straight.

"Yes. But why did you bring him here! Now we are going to have to accept that he's alive, and then what will the Order do? He's a hindrance!" And Hermione was being an insufferable Dumble-clone now apparently.

"Hermione! I don't know what's gotten into you, young lady. Harry Potter was your friend last I checked. You should be happy that he managed to escape from Vo… from You-Know-Who!" Huh. It seemed like Mr. Weasley was on his side.

"We haven't been friends for months now. Ever since he was sorted into Slytherin."

"Yes, well it sounded to me like that was hardly his fault."

"Hardly?! He dumped poor Ginny for that Slytherin snake! It was bad enough that he was gay, Ginny could have fixed that. But now he is contaminated!" Mrs. Weasley was obviously delusional and homophobic, good to know.

"Mom, that's not fair. It's just like Charlie, he did not have a choice either." Since when did Bill get here?

"Well at least Charlie is going to come to your wedding. Harry hear never even said he would come."

Silence for a few brief moments…

"Molly, dear, we thought Harry was dead, remember? We could hardly send him an invitation."

"That is no excuse!"

Harry rolled his eyes, time to make an entrance. Backing up a few feet he shuffled noisily across the floor and to the doors to the kitchen. Everyone looked up at him and Harry rubbed his eyes like he usually did in the mornings.

"What's no excuse?"

"Harry!" The twins came over to him patting him down and guiding him to a seat.

"We could not believe it when we got the letters saying that you were here! Everyone thought that you were dead after all. Not that you seem to know how to die in the first place. We just couldn't wait to tell everyone the good news!"

Harry grinned, apparently Draco already knew where he was. The twins were quite efficient when it came to delivering messages.

"Hey guys! Yeah I don't really remember what happened though. I met Snape in the park and he said something about Dumbledore but other than that, I don't remember… Oh! And I ran into Dudley last night, he seemed decent- talk about shocking!"

"Harry, are you hungry dear?" Molly asked him with a tight smile.

"I'm fine, thanks though Mrs. Weasley."

"You really should eat something."

Harry shrugged, "So long as it is not too big of a hassle."

"Of course not, dear."

Harry watched as she poured the potion over his meal, apparently being subtle about it. She set it down in front of him and Harry felt something cool pressed into his palm. George winked at him and held up a single finger before turning to his own food. Harry smiled at Mrs. Weasley and waited until Fred caused a distraction. As soon as he had, Harry tossed back the potion.

By the time Mrs. Weasley turned around the boy was already digging into his meal. She gave him a small smile and sat down across from him, wiping her hands off on a hand towel. The conversation continued around him as everyone began digging into their own plates. Harry was halfway through when Mrs. Weasley started asking questions.

"Now, Harry, tell us. Where have you been the last couple of weeks?"

Harry shrugged, "Not sure. I did not even realize it had been that long." Harry briefly smiled over the irony, both of those were true. He knew what the Manor looked like but that did not mean that he knew where it was, plus _weeks!_ That had been a surprise.

"Are you and Mr. Malfoy in a relationship?"

"Draco's like another brother to me now. We were dating, but he found that he was interested in more than what I could give him." Also true.

"I see. Have you seen He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at all then?"

Harry frowned, "You mean recently? Don't think so. I did pass out not that long ago because of our connection." Also true, he had been talking to Tom not this man who shall not be named.

Molly frowned and pushed him to eat a few more bites. "You know, Ginny has missed you this last year. I really thought that you two would be married."

Harry coughed and choked on his food. It was a good thing that the twins had given him the antidote for Veritaserum who knows what he would say in response to Molly's next question which would surely be-

"Are you really gay, Harry? Don't you love my daughter even the slightest?"

Harry struggled to control his temper, "Yes. I really am gay. Yes. I love Ginny, she is like my baby sister."

She started to say something but cut Harry cut her off, "And no I will never even think about marrying her."

"Harry do you know who the twins are dating?" The twins actually appeared to have been shocked into silence.

Harry reeled at the change of subject, "Um… What?"

"They were both out late last night. I'm assuming that they went on a double date. Do you know who they're going out with?"

"Mrs. Weasley, you do realize that I have been 'dead' for the last few weeks, right? How would I know who the twins are dating?"

"It was just a simple question."

"Molly, I think that is enough. You're beginning to act as though you just drugged him."

Everyone laughed at Mr. Weasley's comment and breakfast continued as usual. After a while Harry claimed exhaustion and slipped back up to his room. Minutes later the twins joined him. Within seconds Harry found himself the cream filled center of a freckled Oreo. He allowed the embrace for a brief second before pulling away.

"What's going on?"

"Apparently the Order decided to set up patrols in case you 'escaped' from Voldemort."

"Actually Mum and Lupin blackmailed them until they did."

"Ron was on patrol last night along with Lupin, unfortunately Ron slipped away from Lupin because he doesn't need a partner."

"Which of course is why he stumbled across you."

"Bit of dumb luck, really."

"He heard you talking to Dudley and decided that you were probably a figment of his imagination."

"Imagine his surprise when his stunner sent you to the ground."

"He didn't do it properly either."

"You were knocked out for far longer than you should have been."

"When someone tried to wake you, it was a couple of mumbles before you slipped off again."

"Alright. How'd you to figure it out? I'm assuming you told Draco."

"Didn't have to. We took him back to the park after dinner, and he apparated back to the Manor."

"Within the hour we had a letter in our hands claiming that Lucius and Voldie-"

"Don't call him that."

A pause as the twins shared a look.

"Right, sorry. Voldemort were searching everywhere for you."

Harry's knees gave out so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed, "Really?"

"Really."

"About ten minutes later we got an owl from Gin saying that you were alive and she had a chance to make you fall in love with her after all."

The three boys shared an exasperated eye roll, followed by a knowing grin.

"We told Draco and in theory they were planning something, although I'm not sure what."

Harry let himself lay back on the bed, "Why don't you send that note off to Draco with Hedwig. This way they can keep her."

"Harry? Are you really planning on going back?"

Harry frowned, "Course I am. Dumbledore does not want me anyway. Might as well go someplace where I'm wanted."

The twins hesitated for a moment before giving in, "Alright. How do you plan to get out of here?"

"I figure something will come up." Harry let out a small laugh, "We just have to hope that Draco does not plan a horribly brash rescue mission."

The twins laughed too, "Don't worry, mate."

"Yeah he doesn't like you that much."

Harry laughed harder, "Who knows maybe Tom will come knocking at the front door in order to-"

A sudden knock rang through the building. The three teens froze wide-eyed.

"You don't think?" They ran to look over the railing.

**Who's at the door? What do you guys think? I got asked for a little more action, probably not quite what they had in mind, but I was always told that I was hopeless. Hope you all liked it as much as I like reviews! *cough**cough*hint*nudge**nudge***


	12. Chapter 12

They watched as Molly and Arthur moved towards the door, wands ready. Several pairs of eyes peaked out from hidden corners and through doorways. Slowly Molly opened the door. There standing on the doorstep was a man with a long white beard and a bright purple hat.

"Albus?"

"Hello Molly, dear." Dumbledore stepped in and Molly shut the door behind him, "I was informed that you had found our young Mr. Potter?"

"Here, Professor." Harry began descending the stairs.

"Harry, my boy! I am so glad to see you well. I was quite worried when Professor Snape told me of his orders."

"Orders, sir?"

"Yes the order he got from Voldemort to kidnap you. I wish he had been able to talk to us beforehand by am afraid that the circumstances were beyond our control."

Harry fought his temper and managed an understanding smile, "I understand, sir. I do wish that I knew what happened…"

"Yes, I'm sure that is quite frustrating," an indulgent smile on his face, "Are you sure that you don't remember anything."

Harry shook his head and rubbed at his scar, "The last thing I remember before last night was seeing Snape."

"I must admit that when Professor Snape told me afterwards I had figured you for a lost cause. Yet, here you are. I have to say that explains why it was so difficult to take your wards down."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"It took four wizards from Gringott's to disable your wards that you set up, very unusual for a deceased caster."

"I see. Sorry about this, but since I am alive and well, can you all leave so that I can set the wards again?"

"Whatever do you mean, Harry?"

"Well, I wanted to use this place as someplace I can hide where no one could judge me or plan my life. It was kind of my escape."

"Harry, with the fidelius in place only a few would ever know where you are, my boy. It's the perfect solution."

Harry shook his head, "Sorry sir. But the fidelius is under you, I have no say in who gets the address really. The other way, even if they have your 'permission' they cannot get to me.""

"Harry."

Harry cut him off, "Besides, one of my wards was interwoven with the fidelius. You would have had to remove that one along with the others."

Everyone stared as the boy stated something that had occurred to no one else.

"Albus," it was Arthur, "If Harry is right, that means that you cannot set it again without his permission."

"I can. Harry is the owner but he is not of age. It is my responsibility to make sure Harry does not have to worry about these things."

Harry frowned, "I'm sorry, professor."

Dumbledore gave him a small smile, "It is understandable, my boy. You are not a burden to me, I merely want to help."

"That's not what I meant, sir." A large crack followed his words along with a flash of blue light.

Seconds later everyone stood staring at the place where Dumbledore had been standing. Harry grinned and let out an excited laugh.

"I've wanted to use that spell forever!"

Everyone turned their eyes on him in shock. Harry felt his grin slip away as he looked into eyes that varied between awe struck (the twins) and horrified (basically everyone else). He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out what to say.

"Dumbledore lied. I talked to Snape. Dumbledore told him to take me to Voldemort. Voldemort was trying to force everyone into a battle at Hogwarts with my kidnapping. I don't like people who lie to me."

No one said anything.

"Look. Dumbledore is fine. He's basically been disapparated to wherever he came from. No foul play promise. Just," He looked at everyone who was still acting as though he had grown another head, "Go. Please, just go. I'll write you all if I need anything, I promise."

Arthur began walking towards the fireplace. He soon realized that no one else was following him and cast an unfamiliar glare at the rest of his family.

"This is Harry's house, and personally I would like to remain someone trustworthy in his eyes. I'm leaving and so are the rest of the Weasleys."

Several outraged voices raised in protest.

"I said" His voice called over the din startling everyone into silence before he continued in a whisper, "We're leaving."

The Weasley family disappeared one by one through green flames. The twins casting a smile in his direction before the spun away. Everyone else left without another word. A few followed the red heads through the floo but most apparated back to their homes.

Harry waited until the last person left, closing the floo and casting quick anti-apparition wards behind them. Then he passed through the kitchen to grab a bottle of butter beer before migrating into the living room and collapsing on the couch. He took a sip of the drink and sighed as the warmth washed through him.

He scowled at the empty fireplace and let his thoughts wander aimlessly over the events of the last couple of weeks. What else could possibly happen? He sipped at his drink before succumbing to the welcoming idea of sleep.

(0,0)

Harry startled awake to the sound of someone knocking on the door. He sat for a moment on the couch before standing and making his way to the door. The knocking continued.

"I'm coming! Sheesh, impatient much?"

He reached for the door handle and pulled open the door. There on the other side leaning against the doorframe was a dark haired young man with unusually pale skin and deep brown eyes with a red tinge that reminded Harry of dried blood. Shivering slightly he stared at the man.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Probably not. What do you want?"

"To come in. I thought that was obvious." Something about the amused tone reminded Harry of someone but it was gone in an instant.

"I'm afraid that I'm not receiving visitors at the moment. You'll have to come back later."

"Ah. Well then I'm afraid that this is going to be a little bit awkward. You see I have a message that you simply must hear."

Harry waited.

The young man sighed, "Well, you certainly are quite rude."

In an instant Harry felt himself being pushed out of the way as the other man walked past him and into the room. Harry tensed but decided that it was not worth it.

"Very well, what is your message?"

The stranger gave him an exasperated look. He looked pointedly towards the kitchen and then over at the couch where Harry had been laying. Harry gave a put upon sigh and gestured towards the couch with his hand.

"Pardon my atrocious manners. Would you like to take a seat on the charming sofa while I prepare us a cup of tea?"

Harry's sarcasm was apparently lost on the stranger who nodded and moved towards the couch.

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Harry stared for a moment before cursing himself and the stranger in one breath as he walked into the kitchen.

Minutes later with boiling water in two cups with tea bags he moved back into the living room and joined the strange man on the couch. Without waiting for directions he handed the tea to the guest and set the sugar and milk on the table in front of him. The man dropped a little sugar in but otherwise left it as it was. They spent a few minutes in silence, sipping their tea, before Harry cracked.

"Alright. You've had your tea, now. What is your message?"

"Patience is a virtue, Harry." He took another careful sip of his tea before placing his cup gently on the table, "I have a message from Voldemort."

"And it is?"

He gave a weary sigh and raised an eyebrow at the teen.

"Alright, I'll behave."

The brunette nodded and turned to fully face the boy, "He wants you to know that you are never allowed to put yourself in danger like this again."

"And why is that?"

"Because he worries. He does not like to worry."

"He can't worry about me. He's destined to kill me or be killed by me."

"But destiny is a wonderful thing, it can be altered and changed. After all the Dark Lord is gone, is he not?"

"Voldemort is still alive."

"No. You gave him back Tom's soul. You opened his heart to feel again. You destroyed what made him Voldemort."

The brunette shifted closer and placed a hand on the raven's knee. Harry glanced down at it and blushed. Dark eyes moved closer to his and Harry got lost in them. The young man's other hand moved to rest on the side of his neck. His face moved closer and Harry swore that he felt the man's breath on his lips.

"Who are you?" He asked with their shared breath.

"I am who you made me. I am Tom."

"Tom?"

"Yes, Harry."

Lips closed over his and Harry fell into the embrace. The older man pressed him back and lay over him on the couch. The kisses grew more passionate. Between each brutal meeting of their lips the man on top of him let Harry's name fall from his lips.

"Harry."

"Harry."

"Harry!"

"Potter!"

(0,0)

Harry opened his eyes and sat up. Falling onto the floor as a result. Shaking his head from what appeared to be another disturbing dream, he distantly recognized the sound of knocking.

"Goddamn it, Potter! If you don't open this door in three seconds I am going to go get one of those muggle chainsaws and rip it to shreds! Do you understand me?! POTTER!"

Harry groaned but made his way towards the door. It opened under his hand and Draco gave him a disgruntled glare as he moved into the living room.

"Tea."

"Yes, your majesty."

Harry stormed off to get the tea for the blonde. By the time the water was boiling the raven had a tray set up and carried it into the room setting it on the table in front of the couch. A sense of déjà vu washed over him. But he ignored it.

"Great. I have a message from the Dark Lord that I think you'll want to hear."

"Alright then."

"He wants you to know that you are never to go anywhere without an escort again."

"WHAT?!"

Draco shrugged, "That's the message."

"What the bloody hell brought this on?"

"My guess is your disappearance."

"Why would he care about that?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "He was ranting and raving until the twins sent us a letter saying where you were. Then he wanted to come and attack the Order for kidnapping you. It took three of his Death Eaters to talk him out of it."

"Why would he do that?"

"Stop asking so many questions. Point is that that was the message and now you need to come back to the Manor."

"I have to set up the wards here first."

"Harry-"

"I'll set everything up this week, I'll come back after that. Deal?"

Draco ran a hand over his hair, not messing up a single strand, "You realize that he is going to kill me for this message right?"

"Nah. He knows I like you."

"Great I'll get tortured instead. Just what I wanted to hear."

"You'll be fine. Now tell me, how did your date go?" Draco blushed but gave him a full-blown smile.

The lecture began and the conversation went on for hours. Basically Draco talked in response to the prompting that Harry delivered. Harry tried to focus on Draco rather than the dream and thought he did quite well until Draco mentioned the Dark Lord.

"It's crazy though. Every day he seems to change a little more. He has lips now. Which is beyond weird. I can't imagine what he'll look like when you get there. He even has some hair growing in on his head."

Harry nodded but the idea of Voldemort beginning to look like Tom Riddle again was disconcerting. The dream came back in a rush and Harry felt heat rising in his cheeks.

"Hey, Draco? I'm getting a little tired. I think I'm going to head to bed." Harry felt tiredness set in and realized that he actually was exhausted.

"Oh. Alright I'll go deliver the news to snake-like (we can't really call him that anymore, can we?) I'll let you know tomorrow if I survived or not."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Good night, Draco. I'll see you next week."

"Good night, Harry. See you then."

Draco walked out the front door and Harry stumbled up to bed. His last thoughts before his head hit the pillow were wishes for a dreamless night. Then Harry fell into the darkness.

(0,0)

Harry woke up after a blissfully dreamless sleep. He took the opportunity to laze around the house, Kreacher seemed glad to be cooking again after Molly confiscated his kitchen during her stay. The food was fantastic and warm. Harry's thoughts remained on the mundane as he ate his eggs.

After breakfast was another story though. He only had a week to fix up the house after all. Hopefully since the fidelius was gone, the wards would be harder for Dumbledore to unravel. He made his way up to the library and began researching his wards again. He had to be careful

All Dumbledore and the others could see needed to be purely 'light' magic. Any deviance could be seen as a reason for Dumbledore to turn everyone against him. That man could talk his way into anyone's head with the right incentives. He would have to be very innovative in order to work light magic in such a way that Dumbledore would be hard pressed to dismantle it.

That being said- Harry blew dust off of the cover of an older book. The title was embossed in silver letters on a dark green background and black snake sliding through the author's name, _Hiding Your Dark Trail_. This might be just what he needed.

(0,0)

Hours and many pages of notes later, Harry sat back and rubbed his eyes. The author had some ingenious ideas for hiding most dark spells, but the wards were going to be much harder than anything he discussed. Thankfully, the theories were easy enough. Working with Hermione had apparently paid off, now he just had to put theory in action.

The 'dark' wards were to be put in place first. They quite simply were just stronger copies of his 'light' wards. People feared power, and these definitely took a lot of it. Then he would cast the lightest ward he could, a disillusionment ward. Everything under it would be made of waves and hard to place. A ward that combined with one to inspire hallucinations was all that was needed to hide his 'dark' magic. Finally, a layer of light wards similar to the dark ones would be layered on top to create the idea of convincing wards.

He looked at the books he had dug through with a sigh. Day one was successful. Now he just had to find the energy to start work on them tomorrow. That was going to be the hard part. First step, eat dinner. Then he had to form a strategy of how he was going to manage to get all of the wards up and functional in one week. Then he was going to go straight to bed.

Harry actually managed to complete two things at once. His strategy was formed over tasty chicken parmesan and he was ready to go. Although his schedule for the next week was going to be taxing to say the least.

Looking over his notes again had shown him that he could layer the wards together easily enough. Although it was going to be tricky keeping the 'dark' wards separate. It would be the only way to prevent people from getting suspicious. The first ward to go up was going to be a modified fidelius. In this case all Harry had to do was to invite the person in. Whether they could hear him or not would be inconsequential.

He was actually pretty proud of the spell. He had modified it himself by getting rid of a few words in the chant. It would be safer this way in the long run. Harry could even disinvite people and they would no longer be able to find his home. Plus there was no chance of a note getting found by someone unsavory, or someone overhearing the address.

After that he should be clear to work without anyone seeing him. The darker wards were going to take the longest, there were four he wanted to set up and they were going to be taxing to say the least. He had decided to put three of them up throughout the next day while he had the most energy. The first one was a tad mean (Tom and the Malfoy's were going to be so proud).

If anyone tried to take it down they would be electrocuted, unless they were experienced enough to know the counter charm. He also had one that forcefully disapparated people. One that locked them in a body bind and dulled all of their senses. The last one was tricky though. The ward would apparated them somewhere else that they needed to be, had a localized memory charm on it that would wipe away all memories of the building from the last 24 hours, and had a disinvite tied to it that would prevent them from finding the building again.

He figured by the third day he should be able to cast the disillusionment ward and begin on the light wards. Quite frankly, some of them were worse than the 'dark' ones. The one closest to the disillusionment was designed to make a person hallucinate, this way any 'dark' magic they saw would be considered imagined and Harry was safe still. Another was a body bind that placed someone under the tickling charm. Another sent them dancing across the street where they would continue until they managed to apparated away. He also had a simple anti-apparition ward that sent the apparator back to their last location (a very high risk of splinching with that one).

Basically, by the time he was finished Harry would have an impenetrable fortress. Or that was the basic idea anyway.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched. He thanked Kreacher for the meal and made his way upstairs. He was going to turn in early. Tomorrow was going to be the start of a long five days.

(0,0)

He was finished. He could not hold in his smile as he sat exhausted in an armchair in front of the empty fireplace. Now he just needed to let Draco know that he would be back at the Manor early tomorrow. Possibly earlier enough to enjoy breakfast with them.

He was torn about the idea of returning. He loved being in the quiet of Grimmauld Place, but he found that he was actually missing the three Malfoy's and even Tom. Of course that could be due in part to the crazy dreams he had been having.

He was about to call Kreacher to have him deliver a message to the Manor, when a sly smile crossed his face. He decided that it would be interesting to see if he could fluster the usually perfect Malfoy family. Technically he had already told them he would be coming today, he just never said when. Honestly he would not have thought of going until late afternoon. But this could be quite entertaining.

He got up from his eat and made his way up to his room. He would get a good night's sleep and head over first thing in the morning. Of course that might be closer to lunch knowing how late it was. He fell asleep easily and imagined what it would be like to spend the rest of the summer at the Manor.

And if he had another dream about Tom, knowing was ever going to know about it anyway.

(0,0)

Harry should have sent a note.

He had flooed into the Manor just after eleven. He remembered ordering Kreacher to block the floo, and was regretting that decision. He heard yelling from around the corner and flinched when he recognized both Draco's and the Dark Lord's. Ironically, the Dark Lord missed the object of his anger's arrival due to the temper tantrum.

"What do you mean 'you can't find him'?"

"I'm sorry, my Lord. Harry apparently cast a fidelius around his house, I can't even see where it is supposed to be anymore."

"You told me that he would be back today! Now, where is he?!"

"He'll be here, my Lord. He must have finished the wards and he'll be here soon. He would have sent a note otherwise. We'll just have to wait for him."

The Dark Lord was silent for a moment before his voice replied, cold and determined, "No. Take me to where is house is supposed to be. I'll tear down his precious wards."

Draco's voice sounded panicked in his reply, "But, my Lord, he'll not be pleased with it. Besides then he'll have to stay longer to fix his wards again."

Voldemort growled and Harry heard something break. Harry decided that this would be a good time to make his presence known. He knocked something over, but there was no response, aside from a house elf appearing to right it.

He sighed and placed his bags down before moving around the corner to look into the room where he guessed the two men were. Running a hand through his already messy hair Harry cleared his throat. Still no reaction. Sighing he looked up at the occupants of the room hand falling to his side.

Draco was carefully watching every object that was thrown, dodging broken pieces of porcelain and glass as they shattered against walls. Harry cleared his throat again and called out to the two men.

"Hey! I'm back, Snake-like, no need to go breaking my-" his breath caught in his throat.

Draco was there and had finally turned to look at him, relief evident on his face, but Harry ignored him in favor of looking at the other wizard in the room. Draco had not been lying when he said that Tom was changing.

"Oh, not so snake-like anymore, are we?" He managed to whisper.

There standing in front of him was Tom Riddle. The same Tom from his dreams. Only real this time around. Tom looked older than the diary and the pensieve memories. But not too much older than Harry and Draco. In fact he was looking at a Tom Riddle in his mid-twenties.

A very handsome Tom as is happened. Hair just long enough to fall into his eyes. Eyes which were a red-brown that contrasted with his pale skin. Skin that was a hybrid between that of his youth and that of the previous year. A young, handsome Tom. He wondered how that had happened, he thought Tom was supposed to be sixty something by now.

Harry's musings were cut short by Tom's sharp voice, "Harry Potter! You are not to leave this property ever again! Do you hear me?!"

Harry was spurred into action by Tom's tone, hoping that he wasn't drooling, "What? Are you kidding me?! I come back to see all of you and the first thing you're going to say is that I can't leave?! What the hell did I do to deserve that?" He let his voice grow soft by the end, taunting instead of yelling.

"I let you out of my sight for less than an hour and you managed to get kidnapped people who were convinced that you were dead. Then I get a message saying that you are fine, but that you won't be back for a week. What more could you have done?"

"I will not be blamed for any of that! It was all inevitable, Tom. Someone would have seen me alive anyway, at least now I know that Dumbledore is a lying son of a bitch, and now he can't just kill me off. I had to fix the wards because Dumble-_dear_ decided that they were of no use to him. Plus, now I doubt he'll be able to get through them at all, much less alone."

"Well you won't have to worry about that, you'll be staying here for the summer." Tom turned with a billowing of robes and stormed out, briefly Harry wondered whether he taught Snape that or vice versa.

"I was planning to anyway!"

He heard Draco chuckling behind him and turned a glare on the older boy for all of a second before it fell away into a smile.

"Is he always like that?"

"Grumpy or damn cute?"

Harry doubled over in laughter and was in tears by the time he got a hold of himself. Draco had managed to keep a straight face with a single raised eyebrow but Harry could see the way he was straining to keep from laughing himself.

"Please tell me you've called him cute to his face?"

Draco paled, "Oh my God, he would kill me. Don't even think about it!"

Harry laughed again and nearly fell onto the ground. Draco led him over to a seat not covered in pottery.

"Sorry. But I meant grumpy."

"Ever since you were captured, yeah. Actual that was a great mood compared to how he's been recently."

"Couldn't stand the idea of being betrayed, huh? He really needs to learn to trust people."

Draco's eyes widened and his eyebrows practically disappeared behind his hair.

"What?" Harry resisted the urge to look over himself.

"You seriously- No, never mind. I'll talk to you about it later. I need to speak with my father, you've been given a new room this time. Doni will show you the way. I'll see you at lunch."

And Draco disappeared. Harry seriously had no idea how the blonde had left, he was just gone. Harry frowned, sometimes he hated magic. Everything was so complicated now. That done he left the disaster zone to get his bags and called for Doni to show him the way to his new room.

**No real cliff hanger for you guys this time! I hope you are enjoying it, and yes I had to make Harry completely oblivious. And yes we have match makers in this story cause no way are either of our boys making the first move. I hope you like it and any suggestions on how to set them up are appreciated! And can I just say- Stupid Dumbledore. Stupid Ron. Stupid Mrs. Weasley.**


	13. Chapter 13

Harry was not in a good mood. In fact he was pretty miserable. And annoyed. And peeved. Basically Harry was not happy.

All he had wanted was to take a nice, soothing shower before he needed to head down to lunch. There was something about showers that really helped him to calm down and relax. The shower had been marvelous, even if the shampoo was different and the water a little too hot. The problems had started right after the shower. Literally _right_ after the shower.

He was met by a squeaking house elf as he fumbled around for his glasses.

"Young Master Malfoy has requested that Mr. Potter wear contacts this afternoon."

Harry groaned, "Can you tell Draco, that I don't have contacts?"

"Doni has some for Mr. Potter."

"Of course you do. Alright then, you'll have to help me put them in."

"Doni's here to help!" Harry felt something prodding his eyes and jerked back. "What was-" he blinked and smiled at the house elf, "Hey, thanks!"

The uncomfortable house elf led Harry into the bedroom where he found an outfit laid out on the bed for him. He glared at the outfit and moved towards his closet. His empty closet. Without much hope, and with angry movements, Harry looked in his dresser as well.

"Let me guess, young Master Malfoy told you to get rid of all of my clothes so that I had to wear this." He gestured over to the clothes on the bed.

The nervous creature gave a slow nod. Harry growled in frustration as he reached towards the clothes. He pulled them on and made sure to wrinkle them as much as possible in the process. He looked at himself in the mirror and decided that he looked like a mess. With a defiant nod he moved towards the door. As soon as he hand touched the handle he felt magic wash over him.

He turned to look at the house elf, "What did you do?"

The elf looked at the ground and made a vague motion in the direction of the mirror. Harry looked up and groaned, his hair styled so that it only looked slightly messy and his clothes were in pristine condition. He made a point of messing up his hair and untucking his shirt before walking into the hallway. He ignored the wave of magic that washed over him

He made his way towards the dining room only to be informed that they would be eating in the gardens. And the best part was that they were the gardens on the other side of the house! He muttered under his breath about the unfairness the entire way over there.

So no. Harry was not in a good mood when he finally reached the gardens. Especially when he found that the only person there was none other than a disgruntled looking Tom Riddle. Tom looked impeccable as always, but judging by his frown he had been bothered by a house elf as well.

"Did they torture you this morning as well, Tom?"

The red-brown eyes glanced up at him and the mouth opened for a sharp retort.

"Yes, it appears that the Malfoy's decided that I needed to be bothered into moving all the way to the gardens to eat. They have no respect for me any longer."

The eyes did a double take as he looked at Harry, or rather at the way the clothes looked on Harry. The ex-Gryffindor blushed and looked at the ground. Tom swallowed and gestured for Harry to take the seat next to him. The only other seat in the area. With a mental groan at the unfairness Harry moved to sit down.

"Yes well, I was attacked by a house elf who was ordered to make sure that I looked like this by the time I left my room. Then I was sent here after I walked to the dining room. What was the point of it if they aren't even here?"

As if summoned a patronus appeared shaped like a lovely fox, "My Lord, Harry." Called Narcissa's voice, "I am afraid that Lucius was summoned for an important meeting with Blaise Zambini's current step-father, and of course Draco and I were invited along. I hope you two will have a fabulous lunch none the less."

It disappeared in a blue smoke. Harry blinked at the message and the convenient timing. He shook his head and grinned to himself. He glanced over at Tom who seemed to be glaring at the spot where the fox had been moments before.

"You know," Tom looked at Harry, "I'm not sure what I'm more concerned about. The fact that Narcissa's response arrived so quickly after you or that it was shaped like a fox."

Harry let out a light laugh and was suddenly greeted by a house elf dropping off their lunches. Harry startled, still a bit unsettled by the way they were popping in and out all the time. Tom gave a condescending chuckle and Harry responded with a half-hearted glare. When Tom just laughed Harry settled for eating his lunch with a pout.

"It's not natural for them to just pop up out of nowhere like that…" He mumbled into his salad.

Tom just shook his head and began enjoying his lunch. Harry spent half of his time poking at his food and the rest trying to subtly look at Tom. The man looked amazing as always and Harry briefly wondered how much time and magic it took to look like that. Then he realized that the silence was growing slightly uncomfortable and searched for something to say.

"How can you have adapted to magic so easily?"

Tom froze and glanced up at Harry, "I don't understand."

Harry fidgeted for a moment trying to decide how to explain what he was thinking. The older man set his fork down on the edge of his plate and folded his arms on the edge of the table, learning in closer to Harry.

"Well… I mean… You're like me." Tom blinked, "I mean… Neither of us knew about magic when we were growing up. We had strange unbelievable things happen to us that we couldn't explain. But you seem to use it so easily…"

Tom looked at Harry for a long moment before he opened his mouth to speak, "I don't. The spells come easily, of course, but I often find that I forget I have magic. It was the same way in school, being in Slytherin pushed me to become the best I could. The magic became so tempting, things that had never been possible opened beneath my fingertips. It was heady and addicting, the so-called 'Dark' magic even more so."

"I wonder if that is part of the reason why Dumbledore kept me away from dark magic. I get laughed at so often by my dorm when I blow out the candle, or get out of bed to grab something at night, but it's so hard for me to remember magic."

"I know what you mean, I spent almost an hour yesterday trying to undo a knot in my shoelaces, before I remember that I could just conjure new ones or undo them with magic."

"Yesterday I asked a house elf for a needle and thread so I could sew a button back on my shirt. The elf gave me the strangest look before asking if they could fix it for me. I can't tell you how stupid I felt when it snapped it's fingers and the button attached itself."

"I got up in the middle of the night a week or so ago to close the window."

"I spend twenty minutes trying to scrub out the stain on my uniform before one of the guys stopped laughing long enough to remind me about the house elves." Harry shook his head, "But some of the purebloods and half-bloods can be so lazy, the other day, Seamus summoned his water bottle from his bedside table, while he was in bed!"

"Lucius uses magic for everything. Severus actually uses magic to button up his robes in the morning."

Harry laughed at that, "Of course he does. Have you seen the number of buttons on his robes?!"

"That man… What's up with the billowing robes thing, anyway?"

"I wonder how long he spends sneering in the mirror every night to perfect the look." Harry paused for a moment picturing the scene before letting out a bright laugh.

Tom joined him in laughter and their conversation flowed easily over any number of topics, mostly settling on making fun of some of their mutual acquaintances. At one point a flower petal fell from one of the plants nearby and landed in Tom's hair. Never stopping his sentence, Harry reached forward and plucked it out of the brown strands.

"-I know it sounds stupid, but- Tom?" Harry cut off as Tom stood abruptly, making Harry suddenly aware of how close he was to the other man.

_When had that happened?_

"I'm afraid I have business that needs to be attended to today." Tom's voice was suddenly aloof and almost cold.

Harry looked around and realized that it must be near dinner time with how dark it was, apparently the house elves had lit several candles at some point.

"I-Alright, I did not realize how long we were talking. Maybe we should do it again sometime, you are certainly much better company than Draco at the moment, all he ever talks about is red hair and freckles." Harry gave a grin that quickly slipped away.

"I will consider it. However I am quite busy." Harry knew a brush off when he heard it.

Harry nodded and looked down at his hands. For a moment Tom hesitated where he stood. But he shook himself and walked off, lightly brushing his fingers on Harry's shoulder as he passed. Harry shivered at the touch but remained where he was.

He stayed there until after the sun had set. His thoughts racing over the events that had led to Tom's leaving so quickly. He had no idea what it was that set Tom off. Except for the flower petal that Harry still had in his hands. Best guess was that Tom was disgusted by the fact that Harry had been touching him, or close enough to.

Harry remained where he was until a house elf came to him with a jacket to help him stop shivering. Harry took the jacket but did not put it on. He stood on stiff legs and wandered through the garden. When Doni showed up with a message that the Lady and young master Malfoy's were home and Draco wished to speak to him, Harry was shaking with the cold. He gave the elf a nod and began the slow trek to his rooms. He walked in to find Draco on his bed.

His eyes were wide and looked shocked when he caught sight of Harry. The raven raised a hand to cut off any remarks and grabbed his pajamas from where they had been returned to him before heading into the bathroom for a shower.

(0,0)

When he finally emerged Narcissa had joined Draco on his bed and they were quietly talking. Harry cleared his throat. Judging by the way they jolted apart and smiled guiltily at him, Harry had been the topic of discussion. He was still drying his hair as he stood in the doorway looking at them.

"Harry." Green eyes turned to Draco's, "Are you feeling better now?"

Harry snorted, "No."

Narcissa stood up and walked closer to him dragging him over to the bed with her and Draco.

"Harry, darling, what happened?" She pulled him so that he was leaning against her shoulder.

Harry tried to pull away but felt so comfortable that he sighed and dropped his head against her.

"I don't know."

"What did Tom do?"

Harry startled and did pull away from her then. "He didn't do anything. He said he had to get some work done. It makes sense. After all we were talking for hours before he left m…the garden."

Narcissa gave him a look, "If that was the case you would not have been outside for hours. We would never have come back so soon if Tom had not sent the elf to us."

Harry frowned and stood from the bed, "Why did Tom send the elf? I was fine, a little cold perhaps, but I was fine."

"Harry." Draco's voice was surprisingly stern, "The house elves were taking turns casting warming spells on you, and you still nearly froze solid."

Harry frowned, "It's the middle of summer, Draco. I doubt I would have frozen a couple of hours after the sunset."

Draco and Narcissa exchanged a look. Narcissa bit her lip, nodded at Draco.

"Harry. It's almost 4 o'clock in the morning. You've been out there for hours."

Harry shook his head, "I wouldn't have frozen."

Narcissa pulled him close to her again, "What did Tom do?"

Harry struggled for a moment, but Narcissa pulled him over to sit on the bed. Harry stubbornly said nothing as he sat there.

"Harry?"

"I'm fine."

"Harry."

The boy sighed suddenly exhausted, "Nothing. He just left." His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing grew deeper, "He left me."

And Harry fell asleep.

(0,0)

"Harry?" A deep voice claimed Harry's attention and green eyes searched for the source.

"Hello?"

"Harry." Red-brown eyes locked with Harry's and the boy smiled.

"Tom!" Harry ran over and wrapped his arms around the man's neck, burying his face against the strong chest.

Muscular arms wrapped around him, "Harry… Are you alright?"

Harry nodded, brushing his cheek against the man's shirt, "Fine. You left."

"I'm sorry Harry. I'm a little confused, you could say. Just don't every hurt yourself like that again, okay?" The arms around him tightened further.

"M'kay."

Silence reigned around them but Harry simply pulled himself closer to the man and enjoyed the feel of safety that came from being in Tom's arms. No time passed and yet it was an eternity before either of them spoke again.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Harry could hear how hard it was for Tom to admit that.

He pulled away until he was looking up into those unbelievable eyes, "Then don't push me away."

(0,0)

Harry woke up under the covers of his bed, wondering briefly how long he had been asleep. He saw the sun outside and realized that it had probably only been a couple of hours. He was still exhausted. Then the memories of Tom leaving him yesterday, of being disgusted by him came back. As nice as it was to dream that Tom cared, some things were just not meant to be.

Harry rolled over and pulled the sheets closer to himself. He felt a lone tear slip down his cheek as he heard his uncle's voice coming across his mind.

_Freak._

His aunt's voice joined in and was met by those of his childhood torturers.

_Freak. Worthless. Disgusting. Weird. Gross. Ugly. Horrible. Useless. Monster._

And when Harry fell asleep, there was no Tom to save him.

(0,0)

Harry woke up later in the afternoon and found that he was incredibly bored. He reached for his glasses out of habit and brushed his hand across a piece of paper. He opened his eyes and was surprised that he could still see, and that the contacts were not hurting. Deciding it was magic, Harry picked up the piece of paper.

It was Dudley's cell number.

Harry sat still for all of ten seconds before standing and making his way to the closet. Tom must have expected this when he forbid Harry to leave. He had never been very good at following rules. Harry dug through the closet until he found a nice pair of jeans that actually fit him, pulled out a white tee and grabbed his favorite piece of clothing, a black jacket. The jacket was his favorite for three reasons: it looked like leather but was not, it was the first piece of muggle clothing that he bought for himself, and the twins had charmed it so that he could hold his wand up his sleeve. The charm was fantastic because Harry was the only one who could call his wand and all he need to say was the word to release it.

Smiling at his reflection he ran his hands through his hair in the expected attempt at taming it. That done Harry pulled open the window and looked down the three stories towards the ground. Harry shook his head, those wizards could most definitely over complicate things when the wanted to. He could feel the anti-magic wards around the window to keep him from getting out.

He touched his wand where it rested against his forearm and judged the distance between him and the tree. He climbed up onto the window sill, regretful once again that he did not have a balcony. Holding onto the frame he pushed off. The tree was about six feet away, and Harry reached it without a problem.

Quickly he climbed down the tree, slightly grateful for the practice he had gotten running from Aunt Marge's dogs. The lowest branch was three meters off the ground, groaning Harry hung off the branch and stretched towards the ground. A deep breath and Harry let go, seconds later he hit the ground.

Slightly crouched he glanced around to see if anyone was about. Thankfully the lawn was empty. Harry sped across the open space and straight towards the gate. The wards opened easily allowing him out and Harry grinned despite himself. Once outside the wards, he apparated to a town not too far from Little Whining.

He spent some of the money he had converted at Gringotts months ago and bought a cheap cell phone. The plan was simply giving him a couple hours of calls a month. That done he headed for a park that he knew about and decided to call Dudley. He was surprised to see the kids all over the grass but found a quiet spot on a bench closer to the trees. He typed in Dudley's number.

"Hey, D."

"Yeah, it's me."

"Listen, do you want to meet up today?"

"I'm just up north."

"Yeah, that's the place."

"Great I'll see you soon then!"

Harry hung up and was extremely glad that he had done this. He worried slightly that they would be worried, he probably should have left a note. He moved further into the trees so that no one could see him and called Kreacher.

"Yes?"

"Kreacher, can you leave a note at the Manor, in my room, saying that I went out to enjoy the muggle side of things for a while?"

"Should Kreacher say where?"

"No. Unless I get hurt, I don't want any of them to come find me."

"As Master wishes."

Kreacher disappeared with a crack and Harry headed to a nearby bookstore. He had an hour or so until Dudley would be here, and he planned to make the most of it. He wandered the aisles picking up books here and there on various topics. He walked to the counter after the hour was almost up, not realizing how long he had spent among the shelves. He dropped his books on the counter.

The clerk scanned his titles but picked up two of them in amusement, "_Jane Eyre, _and _From Potter's Field_?"

Harry grinned and shrugged, the clerk smiled and finished the sale wishing Harry a good day as the young man left the store.

Harry met Dudley at the diner and was once again surprised by how good his cousin looked. He gave him a friendly smile and shook his hand before sitting at the table. The silence was uncomfortable as the waitress came over and took their drink orders, practically swooning at the sight of the two young men sitting at her table.

When she left, Dudley rolled his eyes at her obvious flirting. Harry acted like he was gagging. They laughed for a few minutes and then Harry started an easy conversation about Dudley's girlfriend. Harry was happy to hear that she was nothing like his Aunt Petunia. Although Harry could not help but smile as he described the auburn hair and blue eyes. It was definitely not a combination Harry was expecting. Dudley asked Harry about his relationships and Harry mostly held back his laugh.

Dudley laughed, "Alright, no dating for you." Dudley looked uncomfortable for a moment before he took a breath and blurted it out, "Tell me about your world."

Harry blinked, "My world?"

Dudley shifted, "Yeah, I mean you know basically everything about me with how my parents used to brag about everything I did. Tell me about your world, you were staying with us for protection from something, right?"

Harry sighed, "Alright. Yes I was staying with you for protection. There was this man named Tom Riddle you see…"

(0,0)

Most of the stories had been simplified, although the tale still took hours. Harry had been careful to cut out the parts about horcruxes, 'evil' muggles, and some of the more upsetting parts of the story. He had been surprised when Dudley's reaction to the fact that Harry was bent was bigger than the idea that unicorns and dragons were real.

"So now I found out the truth, more than likely, and I am staying at the home of my childhood rival and my arch nemesis."

Dudley was silent as he poked at his food that had grown cold during the conversation.

"So, I know we said that you and dating don't mix." Harry looked at the table, Dudley had laughed at Harry's description of Cho's kiss.

"It's a lot of pressure being told you have to save the world. It's not like I had time to read dating magazines."

Dudley shook his head, "It's this Tom fella, isn't it?"

Harry blushed and started to deny it but gave in with a sigh and nodded his head.

Dudley smiled at how uncomfortable Harry was but stood from the table, "Come on, let's go for a walk before I have to head back."

Harry stood up and followed Dudley, surprised when Dudley refused to let Harry pay for his half.

"Think of it as repayment for saving my life."

Harry started to protest but Dudley glared at him and Harry held his hands up in defeat. Dudley and he walked in silence before Dudley brought them back to their topic.

"Why don't you talk about it?" He didn't sound condescending or anything, just concerned and that was what broke Harry.

"I can't. We were talking and it was fantastic, but when I went to move closer he stood up and left. He was so cold after that. I'm terrified that he doesn't want me."

"What if he does? Just talk to him."

"But what if he says 'no'? How will I be able to face him?"

"If he says no, you'll be able to move on. It might be awkward, but it'll be better."

Harry shook his head, "I don't think I'll be able to move on after him. No. It's better to pretend there's a chance than to destroy even a hope."

Dudley looked down at his cousin, surprised by how protective he felt of the smaller boy especially after all of the pain he had put him through when they were boys.

"Here." Dudley pulled Harry into a hug and Harry tensed. "It'll be alright."

Dudley was about to let go when he felt Harry relax into the embrace. They stood like that for a moment before Harry pulled back.

"Thanks Big D."

Dudley grinned, "Anytime Harry, anytime. Look, why don't you call me when you get up the nerve to admit what you want?"

Harry laughed and moved to hug him again briefly when he felt Dudley tense. He froze and suddenly a large arm closed around his waist and he was pulled away from Dudley and into a solid chest.

"What the hell?! Marauder."

His wand slid into his hand and he slammed his foot down on top of his attacker's. He broke free of the hold and turned to face his attacker. Wand in hand and standing between the unknown threat and Dudley.

"Who the hell do you think- Tom?"

Furious eyes stared into Harry's green ones. Dudley choked on his laugh and quickly tried to swallow it. Dudley reached out a hand to touch Harry's shoulder.

"Harry-"

"Potter! I told you that you were not to leave the grounds. Do you remember what happened last time?!"

Harry's temper, surged to the front of his mind, any guilt over hurting Tom drowning in the new emotion.

"Yes! As I recall, I took care of myself!"

"What if it hadn't of been an Order member? Hmm? What then? What if they had tried to kill you?"

Harry gave in to his tired body and pushed his wand back up to his sleeve, "Well, then I guess you wouldn't have to stress yourself over it anymore. Look don't worry about it, alright? I'm fine. You don't have to worry about my 'safety' anymore. I'll go back to my room and lock myself in a Manor full of people who wanted to kill me months ago."

"Potter-"

"See you, D. I might not be giving you that phone call anytime soon."

"Harry, I'm sure that it will be fine."

"Thanks." Harry walked over to him and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "I needed today, even if it did have a horrible ending."

"I think I needed it to. And it wasn't that bad."

"No, but the part where I'm about to be grounded is."

"Potter."

"I'm going, Snake-like. Bye."

"Bye."

Harry apparated away and Dudley was startled before brushing it off as something to worry about later. He walked up to the man who had almost killed Harry many times and place a finger against his chest. Dudley was about an inch taller, but he was a lot broader and he used it to his advantage.

"You've hurt, Harry before but never again. He doesn't deserve it."

"No, he doesn't. But I think he's hurting me more than I am him."

"Wha-" Dudley looked into eyes filled with longing and had nothing to say before they disappeared much as Harry had moments ago.

"Well. Shit." Dudley shook his head at the knowledge he was now privy to and decided that this would be very interesting to watch play out on its own. Shaking his head at foolish and stubborn men he walked back to his car, and began the drive back to Number 4.

**Sorry it's been a while since my last update! I hope you enjoyed this, I had to bring Dudley back into the story. Harry and Tom will get together soon, I promise, and they will have their revenge on the Order! Heehee. Hope you enjoy this! Any ideas on how to get them together?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, I've been really good about leaving my notes until the end, but this is really bothering me. I've gotten a bunch of reviews and messages complaining about Tom being very OOC. I would like to point out that he has gotten his soul back and is somewhat connected to Harry's emotions. Of course he is OOC! Sorry for the rant, but I actually did appreciate some of the ideas of getting them together! Let's see where it goes!**

Harry was waiting inside the manor when Tom arrived. In fact, Tom apparated in behind him. Harry was sitting on the couch staring into the fire when Tom appeared. He did not make any indication that he had seen the older man arrive and Tom attempted to sneak out of the room without confronting Harry. Just as he reached the door the raven's voice shattered the silence.

"Why?"

Tom sighed and leaned against the wall, "Why what?"

"Why did you come? Why did you bother? Why do you care? Why do I care? Why can't I trust anyone anymore? Why? Why? Why!" Harry stood from the couch and walked over to the wall next to the fireplace never looking at Tom, "You pick."

Tom frowned, "I told you to stay in the Manor. It's not safe for you out there! Do you have any idea the kind of danger you're in?"

Harry let out a bitter laugh, "But see, that's just it. What makes today any different than the last six years? I was fine out there, I always have been."

"You are under my protection! How can I keep you safe unless you stay _here!?_"

Harry whirled around to stare at the man, "Why do you want to protect me?" He stalked closer to the man.

Tom said nothing and Harry grinned. And not a pleasant grin either.

"Oh, that's right! You don't. It's just my stupid spell interfering with your mind. Don't worry. In a couple of days I won't be in the way. I'll be gone."

"You don't get to just leave!" Tom's voice was soft but powerful.

"I can do whatever I want. Why do you think you're the boss of me? I'm supposed to kill you remember, or you can kill me. Why haven't you just _killed_ me already?!" Harry's voice was a shout and his magic was vibrating through the room.

"As long as you're here in my home, you will do what I say. As long as you are under my protection, you will listen to me."

"It's not your home." Harry's voice sounded tired all of the sudden, "The Malfoy's are kind enough to let both of us stay here. Now, if you'll excuse me." Harry left.

Tom stared at the direction of Harry's exit for a long moment before turning with a growl and slamming open the other door, almost knocking Narcissa off her feet. The woman looked uncertain for a second before abandoning any pretense of having not been eavesdropping.

"What did he mean he'll be gone?"

Tom pinched the bridge of his nose, still finding the gesture to be somewhat strange, "I have no idea. He was just ranting about his problems. I would not take it seriously Narcissa."

He turned to leave but Narcissa's tone caught him off guard. Warning, calculating, and cold.

"You had better take this seriously. Harry and Draco are like brothers now. And I take care of my family."

Tom felt a shiver run up his spine but continued on his way.

(0,0)

Harry was petting Hedwig. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he had forgotten what it was like to have her around to talk to. In many ways she was the best friend he had. No problems, no fights (except for when he had been writing to Sirius with different birds), and no suggestions. She listened and sympathized but never changed.

"I wish these dreams would go away. I feel so confused around Tom now, everything that goes on is messing with my head. Especially since I know where he is from. People from his time would never have approved this, so I doubt he will. Whatever, in two days we can leave. We'll find a place of our own where no one can find us."

Hedwig hooted softly and nipped at his fingers showing her concern. Harry let out a small, sad laugh and fed her a treat from his pocket.

"Here, why don't you go outside tonight?" He opened the window and Hedwig gave him an appreciative look before flying out to settle on the branch he had used for his escape hours earlier, watching for prey.

Harry gave her a small smile as he watched her prepare to hunt. She gave him a soft coo. Harry took that as an order to go to bed and pushed away from the wall to settle in. In a few days he could get out of here. Then he had to figure out how to stop Dumbledore and the Order from killing the man who was no longer Voldemort.

(0,0)

Harry opened his eyes to see that he was in the garden once again. He let out a smile and went to look for Tom. He found him sitting by a stream that he had not seen before. The garden was suspiciously empty this time, but Harry let it go by saying he needed the alone time with Tom.

"Hey." He called softly.

Tom turned to him with a gentle smile and reached a hand out towards him. Harry took it as he claimed a seat next to him on the edge of the water. Tom said nothing. He spent a long moment tracing his thumb over the back of Harry's hand. Granted, they did not usually spend a lot of time talking, but this was starting to worry the young wizard.

"Tom? What's wrong?"

Tom sighed and adjusted their positions. Dropping Harry's hand he slid an arm around the boy's shoulders and pulled him closer so that he was resting his head on Tom's shoulder. The other hand claimed one of Harry's. Tom pulled it up to place a kiss on the back of the hand he held captive.

"Tom?"

"You're leaving."

Harry frowned, "Yes. I have to, find some place where I don't have to be anyone special."

"You don't have to be that way around me. Why are you leaving me?"

"Because you judge me and don't trust me to take care of myself. I'll be fine."

"Yes. But you won't be with me."

"Tom, I can't stay. I need to stop Dumbledore from ruining more lives."

"No!" Tom pulled him even closer, placing a kiss on his temple before tucking Harry's head under his chin, "You can just stay with me, we'll deal with him together."

"Tom. I can't."

"Harry, please. Don't leave me."

Tom lifted Harry's head again and pressed a light kiss against Harry's lips.

"Please."

"Don't. I have to go. There are things I need to do."

Another kiss, harder this time. More passionate. Harry moaned into the kiss, Tom began to pull back.

"I love you, Harry Potter."

One last chaste kiss and Tom pulled away. Standing up the man gave Harry a small smile full of fear, love, and pain. Then he walked away.

"I love you, too, Tom."

The man shook his head, "Then don't leave without telling me, don't leave me alone again."

"Tom I have to."

Tom turned away from Harry's words and disappeared into another part of the garden.

"Tom wait!" Harry scrambled to his feet chasing after the man who had come to mean so much to him.

Harry raced around corner after corner. He stumbled over branches and vines, bodies of magical creatures blocked the way. He turned again and found himself tripping over a vine of Devil's Snare. He fell and fell and hit the ground hard. He felt himself pulled to his feet and slammed against cold stone. He looked around and saw Voldemort standing in the graveyard surrounded by his Death Eaters.

Voldemort's evil laugh filled the air along with a flash of green light. He glanced over to where he should find Cedric's body. But it wasn't Cedric. There lying with his eyes open and looking at Harry was Tom Riddle. Harry turned to face his murderer and looked into twinkling blue eyes behind half-moon glasses.

(0,0)

Harry sat up in a cold sweat. Panicking he ran down the hall towards Tom's rooms. Down the stairs and around the corner Harry reached the door panting hard. He peered into the room, surprised that there were no wards protecting the man inside. Stepping through what appeared to be a sitting room he found a slightly open door.

Peeking through the crack Harry saw the peaceful face of Tom Riddle complete with a soft breath and the rise and fall of his chest. Harry sighed in relief and stepped away from the door. Without hesitation he walked from the room shutting the door behind him.

Instead of going back to his room, Harry walked towards the library. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep after that nightmare. He pulled a fiction novel from the shelf and settled into one of the comfy chairs in the room.

When Draco went looking for him after breakfast the next day, he was found in that same chair. Glasses askew and mouth hanging open slightly. The book was lying upside down on the ground. Draco spotted the dark circles under his eyes and with a knowing smile for his best friend, he called a house elf to take Harry back to his room without waking the exhausted boy.

(0,0)

Harry woke up in time for lunch. He dressed and walked down the hall before realizing that he should have been in the library, not in his room. He was still pondering it when he walked into the dining room and looked at three familiar blonde heads. And no brown hair in sight.

"Have a nice sleep?" Draco broke through Harry's thoughts.

"Yeah, did you find me in the library?"

Draco smirked and cooed: "You looked simply adorable!"

Harry rolled his eyes and the Malfoy heir laughed. Lunch was simple today, just Caesar salads. The conversation flowed almost easier than usual do to the two Malfoy males, being unable to speak comfortably in Tom's presence. So the meal passed quickly with Harry paying little attention to the conversation. Harry managed to avoid asking about Tom, but was thankful when Narcissa did it for him.

"Lucius? Where's Tom? I thought he said he would be joining us…"

Lucius finished his bite and turned to his wife, "Yes, well, apparently after breakfast some of the Death Eaters were getting antsy to go on a raid."

"I'm guessing you mean Bella." Narcissa sounded amused.

Lucius blushed slightly and nodded, "Of course the Dark Lord would not let them until his plan is set so he set up a practice of sorts where they are dueling each other and eventually someone will duel him."

Harry's fork was floating just outside of his mouth. He slowly retraced its path and set it back on his plate.

"Do you think that he was allowing spectators?"

Lucius gave him a curious look, "All of the Death Eaters are, so I assume so."

Draco gave Harry's excited smile a pointed look, "Let me guess, you want to go watch?"

"Definitely. Do you think he would mind?"

"Showing off to his greatest enemy? Not a chance. Let's go."

Draco and Harry were out of the door in a flash, running down the hall towards the room that Tom had temporarily converted into a dueling space.

As Harry followed Draco inside he was transfixed by the way the room looked. The high arched ceiling reminded Harry of the Great Hall. Actually that was what the entire room looked like. Except this area was darker and more ominous even as it was filled with the multi-colored lights from various spells being cast from wands all over the room.

Harry automatically let his eyes trail towards where the head table would be. And sure enough he found Tom sitting in a throne that was high above the rest of the room. Harry was fascinated by the ways the lights lit up Tom's face in sections highlighting his cheekbones one second and the graceful line of his neck the next.

Tom's eyes moved to his and Harry looked away hoping that Tom wouldn't see the blush on his face. A concern frown crossed Tom's. Draco looked between the two and rolled his eyes. He dragged Harry up towards Tom's seat and pulled him until he was standing right next to the throne Draco on the other side caging him in. Seconds later a curse 'missed' its target and flew towards Harry.

Harry moved to dodge it at the same time that Draco pushed him out of the way. Harry overbalanced and found himself falling onto the throne. Tom reached up a hand and steadied the raven.

"Thanks." Harry whispered and turned to look at Tom.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked lost in Harry's eyes.

Harry nodded and swallowed unsure if he would be able to say anything. One of the death eaters cried out and the moment shattered as both eyes looked away. Draco cursed under his breath as Harry stepped back to his original spot. All three of them looked at the commotion in front of them.

Lucius and Macnair stood holding one struggling Bellatrix. Rodolphus stood by her side looking uncomfortable. Bellatrix fought as the pulled her up to the dais stopping in front of Tom. Tom glared at her and Bellatrix froze, ducking her head obediently.

"What were you thinking?" He hissed and Harry barely repressed a shiver at the sound.

"My Lord, you must be under a curse! Why else would you allow the Potter child into your home?!"

"He is as much a guest here as you or I. The Malfoy family have given him their protection and I will not dishonor them and sully traditions by betraying that trust."

The cold voice sent many of the death eaters into a panic as they began to fear that the peace they had been enjoying was at an end. Harry missed all of that. Too caught up in Tom's words. The only reason he was protecting him was because of the Malfoys. He was surprisingly upset by this even though he knew he shouldn't be.

"You think that I am naïve enough to fall for a curse or spell that someone would place on me? Do you have that little respect for me?!"

Bellatrix began to protest but Tom raised his hand. He turned to look at Lucius who obediently dropped his eyes.

"Take her to a guest room. Take her wand and keep her there. Do not allow the house elves to bring her anything but simple meals and water. Until she can learn to respect me, she does not deserve to be among my elite."

Bellatrix's cry echoed through the room and Draco turned to see Harry's response but the boy's eyes were unfocused. Draco snapped his fingers in front of his eyes and Harry startled back before looking at him.

"Sorry, what?"

Draco frowned, "Did you even see what Tom did there?!"

"Oh, yeah. It was great."

Draco groaned, "Forget it. Do you want to duel?"

Harry blinked at him for a long moment, "Each other?"

"Uh yeah?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Okay, you think Tom will let us?"

"You ask, he's still scaring me a little."

It was Harry's turn to roll his eyes, "Chicken."

Harry turned to Tom and called his name, he tried several more times, but no response. Harry frowned and tried something else.

_"__Tom?"_ The parseltongue apparently caught his attention.

_"__You speak?"_

_"__No you're imagining it." _Both men let out a small smile, _"Draco wants me to kick his ass in a duel again. Any objections?"_

Tom full out grinned now, _"Be my guest."_

Harry forced out a genuine smile. "Alright, Draco, we're on."

Harry finally realized how quiet the room had gotten. He turned to face the blonde who was staring at him.

"Draco?"

"I totally forgot,"

"Forgot?"

"That you were a parselmouth."

"Well it has been years. What does it matter?"

"You know, I don't think I would have dumped you so fast. Do you know how hot that was?!"

Harry rolled his eyes and Tom's tightened.

"Get out there before I change my mind." Harry rolled his eyes completely missing the possessive tone.

Soon the two Slytherins found themselves facing each other and all of the other death eaters watching. Lucius had apparently become their official starter from where he stood.

"Ten paces."

"Wands at the ready."

"1…2…3!"

Both boys stood silently for a moment. Harry moved his wand, no words coming from his lips.

"Protego!" A shield appeared in front of Draco, but no spell came. Frowning Draco turned his own curse on Harry.

"Diffindo!"

The spell froze inches from Harry before disappearing. Several of the audience gasped and Harry grinned. Then he started to move. Step by step he and Draco moved. Dodging and blocking, returning fire. Finally Harry seemed to get distracted. Draco took the opportunity and cast a binding curse. Everyone watched as the curse passed right through the young body. Everyone stared in shock until Draco stood straighter.

"Concede, Draco?"

Harry Potter stood behind Draco with his wand placed against the side of his throat. Draco spun to look at Harry only to have the body bind curse knock him to the ground. Harry grinned in the now silent room. Suddenly a laugh cut through the silence.

All eyes turned to Tom where he sat in his chair looking at the two boys who had just finished. Harry thought to end the spell on Draco even as he considered why Tom was laughing. Eventually the man seemed to get control of himself enough to explain, although that did not mean he would.

"I do believe that is enough for today, we will continue tomorrow." And Tom left.

(0,0)

Harry spent the rest of the day with Draco. Nothing fancy, apparently the twins were busy and Draco had declared today to be just for them. They played Seeker's games in the quidditch pitch for hours until their hands were basically stuck to their brooms. Then Draco took Harry on a flying tour of the grounds showing him all of the blonde's favorite hide outs. They had gone inside only when Narcissa had sent a house elf to fetch them for dinner.

Dinner had been with Tom again but the two young wizards were too distracted to say much to anyone besides each other. Their conversation was now focusing on what was the best dessert. Harry was standing firmly behind treacle tart while Draco was upholding pudding's side of the argument.

Narcissa looked at the two boys with fondness and cast a smug grin at the 'Dark Lord' next to her who was altering between jealous glares and appreciative smiles even as he struggled to keep his eyes away from the two boys. Desert was brought out and enjoyed by all even if it had only been a chocolate cake.

Draco then dragged Harry up to his room and they spent the rest of their evening chattering about their fellow Slytherins and gossiping like old ladies. Technically they were playing chess, but seeing as Harry got his players handed to him in pieces more often than not- 'playing' did not seem to be quite the right word.

As eleven o'clock approached Harry made the excuse of being tired and slipped off to his own room. Quickly he changed into his pajamas and sat down at his desk to write a letter, Hedwig was more than happy to deliver it for him. He spent the half-hour after he got ready staring at his clock and it counted the minutes. The numbers switched for the last time and Harry heard a clock somewhere chime.

For the first time in six years Harry wondered if anyone remembered. Harry fell asleep with tears as the twelfth strike sounded.

(0,0)

"Harry?"

All eyes turned to look at the boy who had been surprisingly silent since he sat down for breakfast. Green eyes looked up into Lucius' grey eyes and held a question.

"Are you okay?"

Harry gave a wry smile, "Never better. Just a little tired. I didn't fall asleep until close to midnight, then woke up early for some strange reason."

Maybe not so strange, to be honest Harry had been hoping to receive some letter or something. At least from Hagrid, he was not _expecting _it- just hoping. Of course no letter had come so now Harry was disappointed and running on too little sleep. He did not think that Draco would know his birthday, but the blonde hadn't even asked when Harry had given him a present a couple of days before the school year ended.

"You sure?"

This came from Tom. Harry turned wide eyes towards him and gave a small smile, "Yes, I'm fine."

Tom's next words were cut off by the entrance of a familiar owl. Draco smiled and leaned back expectantly but the twin's owl stopped in front of Harry. Harry noticed the parcel tied to its leg and shook his head for even thinking that the Weasley twins would forget. He took the card and the package with a smile and thanked the bird with a piece of food from his plate. The owl took the moment to hop over and nip Draco's ear affectionately before flying out the window.

"What is it Harry?" Draco asked, getting a reproving glare from his mother.

"Nothing, I'll open it later."

Draco went to protest but Narcissa cut him off, "Of course, dear, but why not at least read the card now?"

Harry tried to protest but Narcissa's polite insistence was impossible to ignore. He gave in with a sigh and opened the letter. Narcissa prompted him to read it out loud and Harry collapsed in on himself as he read the words.

"Dear Little Brother," He blushed at that, glad that they still thought of him that way even if he and Ron were no longer friends, "Happy seventeenth!" He heard the gasp and blushed a little darker.

"We hope you were not worried about this. As clearly all of the important people remembered. Anyways, have a great day and enjoy your presents! Laughs, Gred and Forge."

The room hung in silence as Harry's voice faded with the last words. Harry waited looking at his plate until the silence grew too much to bear. He looked up at the faces, Draco and Tom looked embarrassed, Narcissa seemed horrified, and Lucius looked exceedingly uncomfortable.

"Look, it's not that big of a deal. I wasn't too worried about it. I seriously wasn't expecting anything."

Still no one spoke so Harry stood and tried to excuse himself from the now suffocating silence.

Narcissa stopped his retreat, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Harry looked at his feet and mumbled his response as he moved out the door, "No one asked."

Harry was gone and the room was filled with knowing looks and embarrassed smiles as they realized that no one had asked. Several of them decided they were idiots, after all his birthday was given in the prophecy that Snape had passed on. Or at least enough to know when it was coming.

Narcissa was the first to recover. She coughed lightly and wiped her hands on her napkin. She summoned a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink without her wand. They appeared in front of her. She took a sip of water before turning her eyes on the three men in the room.

"How are we going to make up for this?"

And so the discussion began. Names were tossed out, ideas suggested, themes suggested, and discussion. In the end it was Tom's suggestion that won out, much to the surprise (and pleasure) of the Malfoy clan.

(0,0)

Harry stared at the package from the twins and the letter he just got from Neville. Apparently he had a good birthday the other day and was apparently glad that Harry was still alive. The Order was concerned that Harry still could have been converted (they had to get something right every once and a while) and were reluctant to let anyone else know that Harry was alive.

Harry had replied with a thank you and then subtly implied that he would be glad to let everyone else know. The package from the Weasley twins still remained unopened. Harry was slightly worried about what it contained, the twins were kind of known for their practical jokes after all. More than that, he was worried that it would cause more tension between him and the rest of the household. Not that it really mattered anyway, he was planning on leaving tonight after all.

Sadly he packed in a few clothes to make leaving quicker and easier tonight; or at least that was what he was hoping. Harry sat on his bed until lunch came around and decided that going down and pretending he did not care would be the best option.

Unfortunately it appeared that no one else did either. The dining room was empty as was the garden. He called on Doni to find out where everyone was and was informed that they were going over plans and were unavailable for lunch. Harry sighed and asked Doni to bring him something in his room. Harry took is Firebolt out into the back for relaxing break.

Harry returned to his room and hurriedly ate his lunch. He decided that now would be a good time to sleep, get rest before he made his grand escape tonight. Just as he crawled into bed Hedwig appeared with a school owl.

He glanced at the parcel the owl carried and its messy scrawl and gave the poor owl an understanding smile. Who knew how heavy Hagrid's rock cakes could get over long distances. Sure enough he found a pile of rock cakes along with horrible cake and a card. He smiled at the messy handwriting and wrote a quick note of thanks to the man.

That done Harry curled up to sleep before his big night.

(0,0)

Doni popped into the room an hour or so later in order to deliver the message of dinner to the boy, upon finding him asleep the house elf gave something similar to a smile. Soon enough she was whispering into Narcissa's understanding ear.

"He is asleep," she told the curious men, "We'll see him in the morning."

Tom looked concerned but eventually was drawn into the conversation. As the group moved into the sitting room, no one heard the alarm go off upstairs or the young man packing his things and slipping out of the house. In fact, Harry's disappearance went unnoticed until almost twelve hours later.

When Narcissa, Lucius, Draco, Dobby, Severus, Hagrid, the Twins, and Tom stood in the garden waiting for the boy to follow the elf down to them. When the shaking elf showed up with a carefully written note panic ensued.

**Alright, that was a lot easier than I expected to write. I still need ideas as to how to get them together although I have gotten a couple of suggestions that I really like! Please tell me what you think! Love you guys you have made this a fantastic experience.**


	15. Chapter 15

"What do you mean he's gone?"

Lucius looked nervous, while Tom, Narcissa, and Draco simply looked pissed. Draco read the note again and began pacing back and forth.

"Apparently he was waiting for his birthday to make his escape. Now he figures that he can be on his own since his magic is no longer being restricted."

Narcissa took the note from her son and handed it to the Dark Lord, "He also is apparently looking more at what Dumbledore has done to his home and life in general."

The Dark Lord growled low in his throat. "Draco. Take me to where his house is."

Seconds later Tom stood outside the wards and began the task of getting to the young man locked away inside.

(0,0)

Harry was not at Grimmauld when Tom arrived. He had made the trip into Diagon Alley to talk to someone about his account. With the use of a couple charms and transfigurations, he was unrecognizable. He walked up to one of the goblins and handed over his key. Soon he was led into a backroom where he waited for someone to come and talk to him.

"Mr. Potter, my name is Griphook. I am here to help you with your account, you had questions?"

Harry nodded, "Yes. First off does anyone have access to my accounts, aside from me?"

"I believe so," Griphook flipped through some papers, "Yes. It appears that Dumbledore does and that he allowed access to Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Weasley quite recently."

Harry frowned, "Let me guess, about the same time that I was declared dead."

Griphook glanced up at him without lifting his head from the papers. "Yes that is true. We did not release any of your possessions, as we had no proof of your supposed demise."

"I appreciate that."

"Anything else?"

"Can I take Dumbledore off of my accounts?"

"Of course. Now I cannot get anything back, because he was the guardian of your magical funds. However, I can show you the other accounts; and your Black accounts are untouched as Dumbledore was not on them."

Harry smiled at the goblin but said that he would pass on the vaults so that he could get started on whatever he needed to do to get Dumbledore out of his hair. Thankfully that went amazingly quickly, then Griphook gave him a piece of parchment that detailed what he owned in each of his accounts. Harry was somewhat amazed by the accounts, more importantly of the amounts that Dumbledore had taken out. Harry was nowhere near broke but his accounts were not where they should have been. Most of it had gone to the Weasley family, but it seemed like Dumbledore had pocketed a lot of it.

Harry fell further back into the chair. Ron had been paid to be his best friend. The Weasley family had been paid to treat him like another son. All of his offers of money were turned down because Harry had already been paying for everything. Harry would bet anything that the only reason all of the kids' things were second hand was to keep up the image.

Griphook then handed him the good news. Dumbledore was not allowed to touch his family heirloom vault unless specified by his parents. The vault had remained untouched. Harry found that the Potter family ring was in his vault, along with their wedding rings, and his mom's engagement ring. A couple of journals, hundreds of books, clothes, and artwork finished the vault. Harry was impressed.

Harry waved off Griphook's offer to see them because he was desperate to get home and forget about Ron and the Weasley clan. He did not want to spoil the vault reveal with his own pesky emotions. Griphook nodded and handed Harry paperwork to sign. That done soon enough, Harry thanked Griphook and told him that he appreciated all of the help. Griphook was in shock at the wizard's actions, as were all of the other goblins and patrons present. Griphook accepted the thanks gracefully and turned back to the others in the room.

(0,0)

Tom finished adjusting the wards. After being blasted after trying to disable the first ward, the older wizard had tried a different tactic. Apparently his magic and Harry's were compatible, more so than they imagined. Tom grinned.

That realization had allowed him to alter Harry's wards to make another exception in who they kept away. He had been surprised to see the dark magic wards on the inside but it just confirmed that Harry Potter was no longer Dumbledore's Golden Boy. He was now standing just inside Harry's door. But the stupid elf informed him that his master was not inside.

Growling under his breath Tom told Kreacher that he would be back later. Kreacher should make dinner for two that night. The house elf nodded and continued on his chores for the day. Tom was surprised by the changes Harry had made. The house looked much different than it had when Tom had been here last.

The floor boards had been changed, leaving bright new wood in place of the old rotting planks. The chandelier had been fixed brightening up the room further. Heavy curtains had been switched lighter coverings. The walls had even been painted a soft green rather than the dark brown of before. Tom was impressed despite himself, and he had only seen the entrance hall.

Instead of snooping further the Dark Lord moved out of the wards and apparated back to the manor. He would have words with Harry when he came over later.

(0,0)

Harry was drunk. At least he was pretty sure that was what was happening. It would most definitely explain why the room was spinning and he was having a conversation with Sirius' mother. Although judging by her lack of scathing remarks, he was not making much sense.

He heard a knock at the door and pulled the musty curtains closed before weaving his way to the door. He missed the handle his first few attempts but eventually managed to pull the door towards him. Falling backwards into the wall, knocking over the umbrella stand, and hitting his head in the process. Thankfully the curtains stayed closed over the obnoxious portrait. A strong hand pulled him up to look at the man who had come in the open door.

"Oh…Hey Tom. Wasn't expecting you here." Harry stumbled back into the living room and collapsed on the couch.

"Kreacher has prepared dinner for Master Harry and Master Riddle." The house elf informed him.

"Well that was nice of him. And so quickly too. What do you say? Dinner?" Harry glanced up at Tom.

The man was staring at Harry like he was a completely different being.

"You're drunk."

Harry smiled and giggled, "Yep! Dinner?"

"Why are you drunk?"

"Cause I drank. A lot. Dinner?" Harry skipped over to the table, or tried to. It was more of an awkward limp than any sort of skipping.

Tom rolled his eyes, "Why did you drink?"

Harry pouted, "You won't answer my question…"

"Yes, Harry, I'll have dinner."

The smile returned ear to ear and lighting up Harry's glazed eyes. "Good."

The food appeared on the table, "Now, why did you drink?"

"Cause everything is wrong." Harry said like it was the most obvious thing in the world as he stabbed at the table, completely missing the plate.

"What do you mean?"

Harry giggled, "Cause good is bad and bad is good. Rivals are friends. Friends are idiots. Role models are liars and thieves. And enemies are people to crush on." He summarized.

Tome grinned, Harry on alcohol was like Harry on cheering charms and veritaserum. This good be quite an enjoyable experience.

"Alright, Harry, I guess I understand. But, tell me, why did you leave the Manor?"

"Stupid dreams, and stupid people."

Maybe not veritaserum, "Hmm?"

"I didn't understand what I need to believe now. My world flipped on its head and now everything is falling out of its pockets! Plus I hurt people who I'm nice too. It's dangerous, so I leave. I always leave."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Cause you're Tom!"

Tom raised an eyebrow, "Would you have told me this yesterday?"

Harry nodded, "If you asked. But you never ask, you just tell me what to do. Then sometimes you are all sweet and kind and then I see you and you're mean again. It's not fair!" He was pouting now.

"What are you talking about Harry?"

"Dreams, always dreams. Except when I went away you did too. No more dreams for Harry! Harry gets to be alone again, just like always!" Harry threw his hands up in emphasis and actually fell out of his chair.

Tom grimaced but walked over to help Harry up. "I think it is time for you to go to bed."

"Will you be there now?"

"I'm right here Harry."

"No. Will you be _there!_"

"I don't know Harry, that's up to you." Tom led Harry up the stairs and towards what he expected was Harry's bedroom.

"I don't want to go if you don't go with me." Harry started pushing against Tom, making the whole thing even harder.

"I'll be right here."

"But you don't kiss me _here_, you kiss me when we're _there_." Harry insisted.

"Harry I promi-" Harry's words sunk in, "_Kiss?_ We kiss in your dreams Harry?"

"Uh-huh!" Harry looked smug, "You even said you loved me once, I liked that. We've danced, you are such a good dancer Tom."

Tom stood frozen on the steps, "We _kiss?!_"

Harry frowned, "I said that." A laugh burst forth, "Maybe _you_ need to go to bed."

Tom shook his head, "Right. Bed. Let's go."

Harry moved forwards without any more resistance. Seconds later he almost collapsed onto the floor. Tom groaned and bent to pull Harry up into his arms. The boy's slight build caught Tom off guard, he was most definitely underweight. The discovery pulled down at the corners of Tom's mouth, even as the boy shifted tiredly and placed his arms around Tom's neck.

He called to Kreacher when he found that all of the rooms were impeccably clean. The elf looked worriedly at his master but hurried to point out the right room. The door opened to show what looked to be an exact duplicate of Harry's room at the Manor. Tom let out a sad sigh for the boy who had too much weight on his shoulders.

He set him gently on the bed, but when he went to stand the arms tightened around his neck keeping him close.

"Don't go again. I promise I won't leave, I miss you." Harry mumbled.

"I'll stay next door, okay?" Tom tried to stand again.

"No. You need to be here."

"I don't think I should." Tom reached back to untangled Harry's fingers.

The digits loosened for a second but quickly shifted. One moved up into Tom's hair the other to the taller man's shoulder. Harry pulled and Tom lost his balance. Before he could recover a small mouth pressed against his. Tom tensed for a moment, but soon relaxed and returned the gentle kiss. The pink lips separated from his with a sigh. Tom kept his eyes closed as the fingers in his hair released their hold and the breaths from the boy under him became deep and steady.

Tom let out a gentle chuckle and pulled off Harry's shoes and socks. Shifting the body off of the sheets under it he pulled them up and over the boy. A light kiss brushed against the boy's forehead before the older man could think better of it. Growling to himself at the tender gesture, Tom refrained from stomping out of the room.

Seizing one of the other rooms for himself, Tom pulled of his shoes. Leaving his cloak on the chair Tom transfigured his clothes into pajamas and climbed into bed. He really did not feel comfortable leaving Harry here in his weakened state when anyone could injure him. Tom ignored the voice in the back of his head reminding him of the wards that he had a difficult time working with and pushed it out of his mind. Rolling over he pulled the blankets to his chest and drifted off to sleep.

(0,0)

Harry woke with a groan. He reached for his glasses out of instinct and hit a bottle. Blinking he rejoiced to see a bottle of hangover cure sitting there. He gulped it down without question and stumbled his way to his private bathroom. He was halfway through his shower before he wondered how he had gotten upstairs and where the potion came from.

Harry brushed his teeth before he pulled on his comfiest pair of jeans and a soft t-shirt. Migrating down the stairs he noticed that one of the rooms was open. He summoned his wand wordlessly and continued to the kitchen. What he saw there made him blink in confusion for a long moment.

"What the hell?!" His shout caused the man at the table to jump and knock over his tea, "Why are you here, Tom?!"

The man's sheepish look was replaced with one of disbelief, "You disappeared! One day you were there and the next you were gone! I told you that you were not allowed to leave the property but you left _again_ anyway! How am I supposed to look out for you when you are not even there?!"

For a moment Harry felt the hope that maybe Tom cared for him a little, in his own way.

"Narcissa and Draco went all out to plan you a party as an apology. They knew that it was tacky and late but they wanted to talk to you! How could you just leave them like that, with just a note?!"

And the hope faded, it was all about manners and courtesy again. Tom did not care about Harry, he cared about the friends that the Malfoy's had turned out to be.

"I can take care of myself, I told you that. I can even use magic now without getting into trouble. The only reason that I could put up the wards was because of the house itself, but now I can do as much as I need, wherever I need to."

"I would agree with you, but drinking yourself into oblivion last night does not help your case!"

"I drank because of yo- the crap in my life! I am safe behind these wards! They opened to you because of our magical signature and the way that it is linked! I set it up that way!"

Tom blinked, he caught the slip, "You were drinking because of me?" His voice was soft now.

Harry blushed and looked down, "Of course not, not just you. Everything in my life is different now. How am I supposed to deal with that? I got some bloody awful news yesterday and got carried away."

"What happened?"

"The Weasley family was getting payments out of my Gringott's account courtesy of our dear old head master."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

Silence reigned over the kitchen. Kreacher used the opportunity to appear with breakfast. Eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles, and toast appeared on the table followed quickly by some coffee and juice. Harry wasted no time in loading up his plate with far more than he could ever eat. Just to have something to do besides stare at the floor.

Tom joined him soon filling his own plate and half-heartedly moving it around with his fork. Harry caught himself staring at Tom, his hands, eyes, mouth, hair, and drew his attention to his own meal.

Breakfast passed in silence. There was nothing for the two to preoccupy themselves with. Harry gave up with a sigh and told Kreacher to pack up the food like usual and to take it to the same place. Tom watched Kreacher do as he was ordered with a scowl. As soon as the elf disappeared he drew his anger to Harry.

"You realize that the food was still perfectly fine? You could have saved it for later! Why would you waste it in such a manner?"

Harry looked down at his hands but tension radiated from his body. He sat in silence for a long moment before he spoke. His words came out calm and controlled.

"I would not say that I was wasting it."

Tom still looked furious but managed to control his temper, "What else would you call taking food out to be set on some random side walk or in a garbage bin?"

"That I would call waste, but that is not what I was doing."

"Sure. Fine. I'll play. What were you doing with that food?"

"I was hoping to make someone's childhood a little less pitiful than my own."

Harry stood from his seat and glared at Tom. That the man would think so little of him even after all he had done. All that Harry had gone through.

"I think that it is time for you to leave, Tom. You have business to attend to, I am sure."

And with that Harry walked from the room, magic slipping from him in waves even as he tried to control it. Tom sat for a long moment, unsure what to make of Harry's actions. He could not help feeling that he had made a grave miscalculation. A large crack startled him out of his musings.

He looked into the furious eyes of Kreacher, "Master Harry says that you are no longer welcome here. I am to escort you out."

Tom allowed himself to be pulled towards the door by the angry elf. Before the elf could slam the door Tom spoke up.

"Kreacher. Where does Harry tell you to send to food?"

"Master Harry tells Kreacher to take the food to different orphanages if it is still good. Today, Kreacher took food to Wool's Orphanage. Good day, Mister Riddle."

And the door slammed in Tom's face.

(0,0)

The day had passed amicably for Harry, it was just after dinner and Harry was preparing to settle into bed earlier than he probably should have. He had to admit that he was a little distressed by the accusations that he had seen in Tom's eyes that morning. Then again knowing Tom's childhood it made sense, he would have to write an apology to him and the Malfoy's before he turned in for the night.

Harry realized that he had probably over reacted, but it hurt. He had spent the last couple of weeks trying to keep himself from falling in love with the man, and then he thinks that little of him. Harry had probably gone hungrier more often than Tom had. It was actually painful to think that Tom had Harry's soul bared to him and yet…

Harry sighed, when he heard that Tom had tucked him in. No. Harry shook his head. It was a foolish hope no matter what he thought. Turns out that Kreacher had delivered the potion without any insistence on Tom's part.

Whatever.

Harry pulled out a sheet of parchment and addressed it to the Malfoy family. He had a feeling that this letter was going to be a much easier apology. His words were formal and it took Harry a long time to get even the opening lines right. He really hoped that they would understand why he took off the way he had.

Harry heard an owl tapping on the window and recognized it as the one belonging to the twins. He set his pen down on the parchment, quills were a mess at the best of times. The bird flew around the room exuding his owners' crazy energy. He let a small smile escape and took hold of the letter. The words on the parchment confused Harry as he stood staring at them.

_"Harry! Hope you are having a marvelous day and all that. Darling, you simply must come see us today. We have an absolutely wonderful new project that we would like you to be a part of. Hugs, Twins._

Harry stared, that wasn't like the twins. He needed to let Tom know something was wrong. Before he could move he felt a familiar tugging and tried to drop the letter. Too late, Harry's wards slowed down the portkey and Harry took advantage. Reaching towards the pen he scribbled quickly and yelled Kreacher's name. Harry was pulled from the room and dumped in a damp, dark space. Panicked voices called his name. Another turned against him with a shout and a bright light. Harry cursed his stupidity before darkness consumed him.

(0,0)

Tom was returning to the Manor. He had stayed out all day in muggle London, He had even gone to see his old orphanage, Wool's Orphanage. It actually looked better than it had when he was a child. He felt awful for talking to Harry like that. Stupid repaired soul was making him do certain things.

He sighed, he would have to swing by tomorrow and apologize. Yes that was what he would do. He would go and apologize, surely Harry would understand. Plus, he kind of wanted to deal with the kiss. He could not help but hope that it was some of Harry's repressed desires coming through. With any luck, he could at least get Harry drunk again and see what would happen.

He shook his head, no. That was too dangerous, he would have to think of a different way to do talk to him. The last thing he wanted was to lose everything he had in Harry. The boy was part of his soul after all. No chance in hell was he going to do anything that could ruin that for him forever. As much as he desired the young man, some things were more important. Stupid soul.

Tom decided that tonight would be the perfect time to organize his followers. They were going to need to go after Dumbledore as soon as possible. This mess needed to be cleared up. As far as Tom was concerned, Dumbledore was the cause, leader, and cure for the problems that Harry was facing.

Dinner was a decidedly subdued affair at the Malfoy Manor that evening. Tom was searching for a way to explain his apology to Harry. Draco was poking his food and missing his best mate, thinking of how they would have poked fun at Tom's thinking face. Narcissa was not speaking to her husband after he made a callous remark that she found inappropriate and unamusing. Lucius was complaining about how unfair women were and how touchy they could be about things, in his head of course. So overall, it was a quiet and uncomfortable evening for all involved.

Although apparently it was not supposed to remain quiet for long. Just as everyone was finishing up, Draco already in the hall on the way to his room, a loud crack filled the air. Everyone turned to find a frightened house elf on the floor. Grasping a piece of paper, eyes filled with tears. He ran over to Narcissa and practically shoved the note in her face before collapsing in a ball and pulling on his ears.

Narcissa scanned the note and grew pale, she handed the note to her husband before sitting back in the chair she had recently vacated.

Lucius saw what had upset his wife and explained.

"Harry was writing an apology. He got cut off by something or someone." He turned the note so that Draco and Tom could see.

Scrawled in hasty penmanship were two words:

"Help Tom"

(0,0)

Tom apparated back to Grimmauld. Uncaring if the wards were there or not, ignoring that no one else could follow him there. Even with all of Harry's wards, someone had managed to get to him. Tom had left him alone. He should have tried harder to get Harry to come back. He should never have said those things to the boy. He should have kissed him again, he should have found out what the kiss meant. He should have-

No.

Harry was in trouble. Tom needed to help. He cast a few spells and discovered the traces of a portkey trail. An owl was still in the room. Tom pulled it into his arms and apparated back to the Manor.

(0,0)

Harry woke to find himself chained against the wall. He recognized the room, but could not place it. No one else around Harry tucked his legs up to his chest for whatever sense of warmth they could provide. He regretted that he had probably seen the last of Tom. He regretted that he would die without something to remember.

He should never have kicked him out like that, food was a sensitive subject to anyone who had not grown up with enough of it. He should have let Tom apologize. He should have explained it. Hell, he should have told Tom that he was falling in love with him.

None of that mattered now. Tom and he had been friends, maybe that would be a memory for the other man to hold on to. But what would happen to Tom if Harry died. Their connection was almost completely open now. Harry began to panic. He opened his eyes again.

He still could not place where he was. Not that it made much of a difference but still. He closed his eyes and tried to summon his magic. He felt it. As soon as he went to think of a spell an unbearable pain shot through his body. For that second Harry wished that he was under the cruciatus again. He opened his mouth to yell, but found that no noise would come. It looked as though Kreacher would not be helping him out of this one.

(0,0)

Tom appeared and set the owl on the table in front of the confused Malfoy family. Draco looked at him then at the owl. Before Tom could speak the young man's voice filled the air.

"Hey! He's the Fred and George's owl!"

The owl recognized the blonde hair and eagerly flew to sit on his shoulder, casting a wary eye at the wizard who had brought him here. Tom looked at the blonde with sharp eyes.

"Do you know where they live?" Draco nodded, "That owl was in Harry's room. Along with the trace of a portkey."

Draco paled further and shook his head, "Fred and George wouldn't. They love Harry, they would never betray him like that."

"Someone apparently used their owl to do just that. We need to figure out where they could be."

Draco held out his arm in invitation. Tom securely held the boy's offered arm and felt the familiar tugging of apparition and could not help but hope that Harry was waiting for him when he appeared.

No luck. Draco had taken him to the twins' apartment above their store, but no one was there. In fact, looked as though there had been a struggle there recently. A quick revealing spell showed that no one else was in the building. Tom swore under his breath.

Draco waited until the Dark Lord looked controlled again and spoke his words carefully.

"Sir. I was thinking, you and Harry have that whole connection thing- right? How does it work? Could you contact him that way or something?"

Tom turned to yell at the boy for making unhelpful suggestions, before realizing that he had no idea whether he could or not. Taking a deep breath Tom thought of Harry. Felt the pushing of another presence on his and called out softly in his thoughts:

_"Harry?"_

(0,0)

_"Harry?" _Harry blinked slowly wondering if he was going crazy. Hearing voices inside his head was never a good thing, _"Harry?"_

Crazy or not Harry had to know, _"Tom?"_

_"Oh thank god. Harry, where are you? Do you recognize it?"_

Harry shook his head, but guessed Tom couldn't know that, _"No. It's familiar, but I don't know."_

_"Harry, the twins are missing too. Looks like there was a fight of sorts."_

_"They're the ones who sent me the portkey, but I don't think it was them. It sounded nothing like them."_

_"Alright. Think, could this have something to do with them?"_

_"Just the Order. They're technically apart of it still. They might have caused trouble."_

_"Anything else?"_

_"No." _A thought came to him and Harry cursed his obliviousness, _"Wait! That's it! I'm in their warehouse!" _A loud crash reached Harry's ears, _"Someone else is here. Tom, help me, please?"_

_"I'm coming Harry!"_

**Yay! More cliff hangers! The final battle will begin shortly, in the meantime, please feel free to eat lots of popcorn and leave admiring and/or scathing reviews. Thank you.**


	16. Chapter 16

Draco knew the exact moment that Tom made contact with Harry. The tension literally fell from his face leaving him worried but almost peaceful as the lines eased and he relaxed. He could see the way he was searching for information in the almost pleading look. The instant Harry figured out where he was, Tom grew determined and somehow at ease. Then it disappeared.

Something had happened to Harry. Tom's lines deepened into a near panic. The blonde felt his own sense of dread growing as he looked at the older wizard. Eventually Tom blinked out of the raven's mind.

"Do you know where the warehouse is?" Tom asked without any precedence.

Draco shook his head, "No the twins never took me. Apparently there was some stuff there that I would not find very amusing."

The furious Dark Lord began to pace back and forth, angry magic flowing off of him in waves. Draco bit his lip as a thought occurred to him. The only question was if the wizard in front of him would wait long enough to listen to it.

"Let's look around, something probably has the coordinates written on it." The Dark Lord started shifting through papers.

"My Lord? Sir? Ummm, Sir? M' Lord. Sir. Tom!"

The wizard stopped pacing and looked wide-eyed at the young Malfoy. "What?!"

Draco looked at his feet, "Sir. I was just wondering if you knew how the connection with Harry works? I mean, can you apparated to him? If you can't, Harry knows where the warehouse is. Find out that way. If I'm not being too presumptuous, sir."

Tom looked as though he was about to end his non-torturing streak. But then the man seemed to register the idea and slowly closed his eyes. Tom seemed to be looking for something, a determined frown marking his face. Suddenly he grinned. Draco watched as the Dark Lord suddenly turned on his heel and apparated away.

Feeling triumphant Draco smirked at the place where Tom had been standing. The young blonde mentally congratulated himself on being able to help the Dark Lord. He planted one foot and spun halfway around before freezing. His grin fell as he turned back to stare at the same spot.

"Well. Shit."

(0,0)

Harry was panicking, he had no way out. Tied up, voiceless, and with no way of using magic he was useless. He always figured that he would die by Voldemort's hand and now he was facing an unknown opponent, desperately hoping that Tom would show up.

The irony manage to dull the panic and Harry took a moment to breathe. He needed to keep his head in case Tom had to reach out to him again. He felt some sort of vibrations and hoped that meant Tom was closer. The door in front of him opened and in walked the Weasley twins.

Harry felt his heart stop for a moment. His breath caught on a sob as he saw them entering. The idea that they had set him up had never crossed his mind. Before he could say anything his eyes registered their hands behind their backs. Half a second later he heard a new pair of footsteps and what he recognized as the shimmer of the cloak.

He cursed himself, he had not even looked at it in the last month. Ever since school ended he had left it in his trunk and never thought about it. He felt himself relax at the realization that the twins were just as responsible as he was. At least he knew what to expect, now he just had to figure out who was under the cloak.

He looked up at one of the twins he glanced quickly between them and back. George (he thought) relaxed slightly too. Fred caught the exchange and gave Harry a small smile. Harry scowled at him and hoped that they understood. He began to move his mouth as though screaming obscenities and doubled over like he had attempted to use magic again. He heard a chuckle, a giggle and felt his mouth fall open even as he continued to writhe in pretend agony.

After a long moment, he forced his body to still and panted as though recovering. Meanwhile his brain fought to understand what the hell was going on. He recognized both of the voices but it made zero sense. Okay one of the made sense. But with the other one all sense disappeared. I mean Harry would have expected it to be someone but never…

Someone stepped through the door and Harry looked up. Feeling more abandoned than when Sirius had died. He felt the tears fall now, choking back the actual sobs. The spell released on his throat, but Harry really had nothing to say. How was he supposed to do anything now? He looked into cold eyes and felt himself go cold in turn. His tears dried instantly.

"Hello, Harry."

Harry's voice was cold and harsh, a mimicry of Voldemort's, "Fancy seeing you here."

"Yes well, you did bring this upon yourself. You could have remained dead, hidden in the dark, no one would have cared. But no. You came back and turned Dumbledore into a liar."

"Dumbledore _is_ a liar. It just took me a few years to work it out. What's your excuse?"

"I had responsibilities. Debts to repay. You have responsibilities, too. And don't forget your debts to your parents."

Harry scoffed, "_My_ _parents?!_ You know I think they would be glad that I was able to look beyond the surface. Unable to kill a poor orphan boy, like me, who got pushed in the wrong direction. I think they would be _proud_ that I did not honor their sacrifice by getting myself _killed_."

"You would never have had to sacrifice yourself, we were looking for options!"

"That would have left me a _murderer!_ Somehow I really doubt that my parents would have wanted me to become a murderer any more than you to become one."

"Voldemort was insane. He would have killed the whole of England if you would not stop him."

"Why me?!"

"You were prophesized to-"

"Screw the prophesy! Where did it ever say that I had to kill him? Where did it say that I had to do it alone? Who said that I wanted to kill him?"

"He was insane!"

"Yes. He _was. _He's fine now. No thanks to the precious Order. It took me less than a year to figure out how to restore his soul. It took me less than two to restore it. He has not killed anyone since I did. He's a good old souled being now. And _I_ did it. There's your power that 'he knows not.' Voldemort's dead. Tom Riddle is back for good."

The man in front of him blinked, "That's not possible. Dumbledore looked for years to figure out how to do it. Voldemort has tricked you into something. Harry you have to realize that this is for the greater good!"

"Take your greater good and shove it up your arse. I'm done, Remus. I'm done."

"Harry, you know…" And Harry cut him off with a scream of frustration.

(0,0)

Tom had apparated in short leaps towards the vibrations that he felt coming off of Harry. He assumed that's where they were coming from anyway. He had no other theories. They grew stronger and Tom made one final apparation.

Standing in a block full of small buildings, Tom walked down the street. The vibrations became a solid throbbing and Tom turned to look. Three golden letters stood on the door, and Tom knew he had found it. Stepping inside he felt the familiar wave of magic that made the building bigger on the inside. He cast a quick set of charms and found all of the booby traps had already been disabled. He started down the stairs.

Finding himself at the bottom of the stairs he followed voices that he had been unable to hear before. Soon he was standing in front of a door to the storage space. A quick glance showed Harry tied up and facing an incredibly thin man with brown hair. The twins stood a few feet away, hands bound by magic. He stepped away and leaned back against the wall. A scream filled the air and Tom could feel Harry trying to hold his magic back.

_"__Harry?"_

He heard Harry pause as though taking a breath. Then something slumped against the wall.

_"__Tom? Are you here?"_

_"__Right outside the door."_

_"__Oh good. There's a guest here for you. Under my invisibility cloak. I think you'll be surprised."_

_"__Harry? Are you okay?"_

_"… __Technically? Yes."_

_"__Harry."_

_"__Just deal with your guest, Tom."_

Tom stepped inside the door. He looked at Harry, the boy glanced at the ground between the Weasley twins. Tom followed his eyes and saw the impression of feet. Between the two. The twins frowned at Harry's glance and looked over at the door. Obviously glad to see, Tom.

Harry whispered, "Now."

The man in front of Harry tensed. Tom reacted, the twins fell to the ground and Tom cast the body bind curse. The body inside the cloak fell to the ground. Tom cast another body bind at the man talking to Harry. He released the twins and moved to Harry.

"Are you alright?"

Harry was shaking but managed to nod slowly. The twins were digging through boxes. Eventually they came up grinning with a potion and a key. Tom let them attend to Harry and turned to the body still mostly covered in the invisibility cloak.

He pulled up the cloak and cursed at who he saw under the fabric. Body shaking with anger he took the cloak and left the person lying where they were. Harry was sitting and rubbing his wrists. He looked up at Tom.

"Is it her, Tom?"

Tom nodded, "I do wonder what dear Bella is doing here among the Order."

The twins looked at each other, "I think Remus can explain it," Fred spoke up, "He said it to us, but I think it will be better from the source."

Tom looked closely at the twins. They looked uncomfortable, but certain of their words. He glanced at Harry who was glaring at the still Remus. The boy looked betrayed and seemingly determined to hide it. Tom suppressed a groan, now he was starting to worry about the boy's feelings. _Well, more than before._ He looked at the ceiling as the thought crossed his mind. He cast a spell silently, watching as the ropes wrapped around the werewolf. He removed the body bind.

"Speak." His voice was cold and Remus looked up at him in shock.

"You really are Voldemort."

Tom suppressed a growl as he moved to make the man focus on his task. Harry stepped up next to him and cut in.

"We know who he is. Who the hell are you?"

Remus blinked as though not expecting the question. When he answered it was in low, soothing tones one might use to calm a frightened animal.

"It's me, Remus Lupin."

Harry frowned, "I don't believe you. Why are you here?"

"Dumbledore didn't want to get his hands dirty."

Tom and Harry raised an eyebrow at his words. The synchronization hit Remus and the twins. The twins smirked and shook their heads at the oblivious pair. Remus frowned as he tried to understand what exactly this meant. When Tom moved to point his wand at the werewolf, out of impatience, Harry placed a hand on his forearm without looking away from the man on the floor. Remus felt his jaw fall open.

"Are you two?" He blinked again trying to make sense of the situation.

The young man blushed and looked at the floor, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Explain why you are here."

Remus chanced a glance at the twins who gave him a knowing smirk. One of them nodded while the other shook his head. Remus nodded. With that information stored away for processing later, he looked back at the two wizards in front of him.

"Dumbledore wanted Harry to 'come back' to him. In order to do that, he needed someone Harry could trust." He took a deep breath, "At least that's the story that he gave everyone."

Harry frowned- Tom spoke "You still are not explaining why you are here."

Remus sighed, "I'm getting to that. Harry- Dumbledore was upset that you took him off of your accounts. I was at headquarters trying to convince Snape to- …- make me some of my potion before the next full moon. I overheard him talking to Molly."

Harry's face shut down. Tom moved without a thought to stand closer to the young man. Remus suppressed a smile at his actions.

"Some of the things she said. The next meeting, I offered to talk to you. Dumbledore gave me a lecture." He took a shuddering breath, "I was to be prepared for you to be resistant to the ideas. I told him that you could throw off the Imperius curse, so that made no sense. Then he swore me to silence and brought out his special guest."

All eyes turned to the crazy brunette woman.

"She claimed that you had Harry under a potion. Not an Imperius so there was nothing you could do. She was lying, I knew that then and there. When I left I activated the floo before sneaking back to listen in."

Remus paused and Harry moved closer to rest a hand on his mentor's shoulder. Tom stiffened, but Remus merely smiled before turning back to his story.

"Dumbledore was comforting the bitch." Harry stiffened in shock, the twins grinned, Tom glared, "She was whining for _her_ _master_ to come back. That the evil-Potter-brat had him locked away. I snuck out the side and apparated away after that. I had to help you, however I could."

Harry smiled at him and the twins started fake crying. Tom snorted.

"Then why is Bella here?"

Remus frowned, "It was supposed to turn Harry against you. Bella attacks me. Harry becomes livid. Passes out due to the pain of his unrestrained magic. The twins disappear with Bella. Poof! Harry is the precious weapon again."

"The twins?"

"Dumbledore knew that Harry was still in contact with them, still trusted them. He has no idea that they are dating young Malfoy." Two shocked outcries came from the twins. "You seriously think I couldn't tell? Not the point. Dumbledore knew that he would come to see the twins if they asked."

"And in case I didn't, they set charms on it."

Remus stared at Harry with wide eyes, "No. There were no charms on it."

Tom snorted, "The invite dragged him out of the house and portkeyed him away."

"That doesn't make any sense…" He looked up at Harry in a sudden panic, "I swear I had no idea that he was going to use something like that. He sounded so sure tat you would come if the twins asked you to."

"I would have. But they never did. At least not willingly." All eyes turned to Harry and he shrugged uncomfortably at their looks, "It's not exactly their style to send a letter asking me to visit. And never as formal as that letter was. Usually they just show up and drag me here."

Remus glared at the twins, "You never invited him?"

The red-heads looked uncomfortable but refused to look away from the werewolf. One of them stepped forward slightly and tried to get the werewolf to see reason.

"Why do you think this crazy witch showed up? Dumble_dear_ sent her to watch us. Make sure we didn't try to help Harry or anything crazy like that."

The other twin gave a haughty sniff, "Like a crazy witch is going to be able to stop us. It's like he doesn't even know us." He looked at his twin with a small pout.

Harry and Remus laughed outright at that, while Tom allowed a small smile.

"Ahhh!" The twins ran and hid behind a crate. When all eyes were once again on them they let out a unified shriek before collapsing against each other, "Tom's smiling!"

And Tom's smile was replaced with a scowl, causing more laughter.

"I hate to interrupt this pleasant scene. But can we focus on the big problem here? For example, getting Dumbledore off of his high and might throne."

Harry pulled himself together and looked up at the unique eyes, "You're right."

He stood on his feet and untied Remus, "Do you think we should go someplace else?"

Tom nodded, he paced for a long moment, trying to figure out the best place for them to go talk. Apparently though, they would never find out what Tom was planning. A giant shudder shook the building. Auror teams flooded in through the door. Tom moved to apparate away Harry with him, but encountered a bit of magic in the anti-apparition wards.

Harry cursed when he realized why Tom stopped. He found himself standing in the midst of a battle that he could not even participate in. His magic was very much unreliable without his wand. He felt himself get blown back by the rebound of a curse. He put up the best wandless shield he could and did his best to keep an eye of Tom.

What he saw, well, it terrified him. It was not difficult to see that this was about as difficult as it could become. Tom, Remus, and the twins were fighting against teams of trained wizards. They were screwed. Harry began panicking, there had to be a way out of here.

If only Tom had not come alone. The Death Eaters would be more than welcome at the moment. A bright light surrounded the twins who soon found themselves bound on either side of the still Bellatrix. Remus was weakening quickly, Tom was fighting more wizards than he had any chance of defeating.

After a few short, intense, and shout filled minutes. Every one of his group was bound and gagged on the floor. Harry and Tom were kept separate from each other and the rest of the group. Tom was dragged in front and placed on his knees in front of the Minister of Magic as he strutted into the room.

"And who do we have here? Someone who wishes to rescue Mr. Potter?"

Harry thought about moving, getting between them. But then he would no longer be unbound. Somehow the reason they were all there had been forgotten. Not that Harry was really going to complain about that. But it did raise a few questions in his mind. His thoughts blocked out the words between the Minister and Tom but not everything. A scream filled the air and Harry looked over to see Bellatrix under a legal form of the cruciatus curse. The Minister waved his hand and looked at Tom again.

"I'll ask you again. Where is Harry Potter?!"

Harry blinked in confusion. Glancing down at himself he realized that someone had cast a Notice-Me-Not charm on him at some point during the battle. Harry frowned, the fact that someone had cast a spell on him was unlikely enough, but that he had not noticed it was simply disturbing.

"I. Don't. Know."

"Fine then- Who are you?"

Tom grinned, "Wouldn't you like to know."

"I will know. You will tell me now."

"And if I told you that I am the Dark Lord Voldemort?"

The entire room flinched, "You will not joke about such things!" The minister hissed.

"Then I see no point in telling you if you refuse to believe me."

The minister and the aurors blinked as though trying to understand his words. Harry saw the moment the thought clicked inside their heads. The figurative light bulb turning on. A single whisper made it out of the minister.

"Kill him."

"NO!" Three voices called out together at the man's words.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat. Frozen, he tried to think of a way out of this. How to get them all out. There was no way. Harry had no ideas. No plans. He was no hero. In that moment Harry felt himself practically drowning in the fear and desperation that surrounded him.

The man on Scrimgeour's right raised his wand. Levelling it at the wizard in front of him. The entire room paused. Everyone held their breath as the man opened his mouth to form the words. Harry saw the intent. He was going to use an Unforgivable. Scrimgeour knew as well. And he was going to let it happen.

Harry crept slowly forward, he could still save Tom. No other thought came to his mind. No one else was important. Harry moved with a single goal in mind. To save Tom. At least that would be something he could do. Harry wanted to move faster, but it was like in those dreams. No matter how fast he wanted to go, it was like walking through water.

Then first syllable came out and Harry gave up on staying hidden. He ran. Still he worried that he was going to be too late. He watched as the words finished falling from the wizard's lips. The tip of the wand glowed green. No. He was not going to make it. Harry pushed himself forward. Faster. Faster. Still a chance. The chance was there.

He could. Just a little farther. Harry's fingers brushed against Tom. All eyes flashed to him, as he suddenly became visible to the room. Shouts filled his ears. But nothing mattered. Tom turned wide eyes towards him. His mouth parted.

Harry pushed and gave him a weak smile. His own lips parted. Tom's name the last thing he called out. There was no guarantee that this would work. But at least he tried. He had done what he could. Maybe. Just maybe. It would be enough. He reached out to Tom's mind. _I'm sorry. Be well._

He felt nothing. He heard nothing. His thoughts running in circles. Begging that it would be enough. He looked at Tom's eyes for that final moment. Memorizing the color. The shape.

He saw Tom say something. But never heard it.

At that moment everything was green.

(0,0)

Tom looked at the tip of the wand as it pointed in his face. So this was how it ended. May not have been the best choice to get himself out of there. But it would buy Harry some time. He knew that the Gryffindor turned Slytherin would probably never understand why he did it. Tom himself was not really sure.

Screw that.

He knew why. It was the same reason that James and Lily had stood in front of him. The same reason why Lily had taken the killing curse for Harry. He was in love with the boy. Tom could not believe that it took him facing the wand of the man who was about to kill him to admit it to himself.

It seemed like that was the one thing that he was going to regret the most. Harry would never know exactly how Tom felt about him. Tom was tempted to shut his eyes. Let the green wash over him. But that would make it easy. He looked into the eyes of the man who was saying the words.

He saw the shaking of his arm. The sweat on his brow. Easy to say that this wizard was not coming by this nerve easily. For a moment, Tom wondered whether or not the spell would even work. He was glad his spell had. He knew he was overwhelmed. Too many wizards and he was no longer willing to kill. Harry had seen to that.

He had done the best he could. Distracting them with a series of curses, no one noticed the one that missed. A simple charm by all means, but simple does not mean useless. A charm had rendered Harry invisible to the naked eye with little trouble an instant before Tom had been bound and on his knees.

He grinned up at the minister. Yes, he may be dying. But he was taking away the man's best chance of finding Harry. The boy could slip away. He could grab his friends and leave while all eyes were on Tom's body. That's what a Slytherin would do. Take advantage of the moment. Make his escape.

He never thought that Harry was never one thing. He was a Slytherin in mind. A Gryffindor at heart. The thought registered the instant he felt fingers on his shoulder. Turning he looked right at the small raven haired boy. The young, green eyed man. He looked up at Harry, knowing that the panic was clear on his face.

"Harry?"

His whisper was matched by the screams of four others. He barely understood what was going on. Harry was not supposed to be here. Then he realized. Harry was protecting him. Harry was doing this for Tom. No one else was going to benefit from this. Plus Tom was probably going to die anyway.

But that made no difference to Harry.

The young man had a chance. One chance. That was it. And he was taking it.

Suddenly Tom grasped what was going on. Harry was going to die. Harry was going to die for Tom. Harry was going to let himself be killed by the curse that was supposed to rid him of his greatest enemy. Harry was sacrificing himself to save Lord Voldemort. No, to save Tom Riddle.

"No."

Harry's hands connected and Tom felt himself looking into eyes that seemed full of promise and worry.

Harry parted his lips, "Tom." Tom felt the next words brush his mind, "_I'm sorry. Be well."_

"NO!"

Tom heard his voice echo as the green light covered the green eyes.

(0,0)

As the light cleared. Aurors stared in shock. The man who cast the curse dropped his wand and scrambled back from it as though fearful of what it could do to him. All eyes looked upon the sight in the middle of the room.

Tom sat rocking the body of the Boy-Who-Lived. The denial falling from his lips as he held the young man close to his chest. Tears dripping down his face even as he hid his eyes in the messy hair. Fingers ran through the raven strands as the mantra continued.

"No. No. No."

He placed gentle, butterfly kisses across the still form's face and hair. No one spoke. The Weasley twins sat in shock as they watched the man they thought to be cruel cry over the form of their almost brother. Remus could not move. His head shaking back and forth as he tried to understand what had happened. How Harry could possibly be gone. It did not make any sense.

A low, shaky voice cut through Tom's sobs.

"Get Harry away from him." A few eyes turned to the minister, but no one moved.

"I said get Harry away from that monster."

Still nothing. All eyes had returned to the 'monster' who was calling for Harry to come back to him. Claiming that Harry was supposed to be here. Harry was supposed to protect them. That he was supposed to die for Harry. Not the other way around.

"I'll do it myself." Scrimgeour stalked forward.

He got so far as touching Harry's shirt before Tom broke.

"No. No! NO!"

The magic flew out of him. Every single auror flew back. Slamming into the walls. The twins and Remus feeling the rush of magic but unaffected. Scrimgeour screaming on the ground as he held the piece of charred flesh that used to be his hand.

Cracking filled the room. Wizards appeared out of nowhere. Clothed in black robes. At the center was a familiar blonde head.

"Finally. You have no idea how hard it was to find this place! I mean-"

Draco broke off as he took in the scene. Tom holding Harry. Harry lying broken in his arms. Draco broke. He fell to the floor, legs not supporting him, and took up Tom's mantra. It was Narcissa who recovered first. Walking up, she placed a hand on Tom's shoulder.

"Come, Tom. It's time to bring him home." She reached out a timid hand and brushed Harry's bangs back from his face. She felt something on her wrist.

Without another word she turned on her heel. She apparated away. Her hand firmly on Tom's shoulder.

**Wow. I'm crying. Okay. Never writing a scene like that again. I hope you guys like it. I didn't re-read this chapter, I don't think I can right now. I hope you like it anyway, or appreciate it. I'll edit it later...Maybe. And I'm crying. Please leave reviews. I love them and they make me feel like you don't completely hate me! Even if you do, let me know! Still crying, what the hell was I thinking...**


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm so sorry that you guys had to wait so long for this, but it's longer than usual and I hope you think it's worth it! I'll try to get out another chapter before too long! I hope you enjoy it!**

Tom had no idea how he got here. All he knew was that he was sitting at Harry's bedside in his room. He had arrived here hours ago and was still wondering about what had happened to bring him here. He heard rumor that Narcissa had apparated him and Harry away and everyone else had followed them here. Whispers were travelling through the ranks about Tom's reaction to Harry's sacrifice.

Several were understandably confused, having missed all of the signs that many of his older followers had noticed. Many were worried that Harry's death would bring back Voldemort. But most were just pacing with their fingers crossed that Tom would be okay.

Tom had no idea why he was still here. Harry was gone. The young man had sacrificed himself for Tom. He took the one hand that was not holding Harry's and brushed the messy hair out of his face once again. He should be out there avenging his boy's death. But for some reason he was terrified to let go of Harry's hand. Almost as though that would be giving up on the hero entirely.

He was not worried about becoming Voldemort again. To be honest, immortality lost the appeal now that he knew he would have to spend eternity alone. Who would want a life like that? Of course, Tom could not leave the world by his own hand anytime soon either. That would be a terrible way to repay Harry for his sacrifice in Tom's place.

Tom felt a sudden weariness fall over him as he imagined exactly what it was going to mean to live without Harry. All of the changes he wanted to make would leave him alone for longer. Every step into politics would lead him further from what he and Harry shared. He thought of all the things that he wanted to accomplish for Harry.

He dropped his head onto the bed next to Harry and simply looked up at the still form. He watched the way the light from the window created shadows on his face. He watched as they caressed the soft angles and closed eyes. The way they brushed over the still lips and over the edges of his cheekbones. He had to revenge his beautiful angel.

But first- It was time for him to rest. To watch over Harry's body. To take the time he needed to see the man he loved cross peacefully to a new world where he could be honored for the hero he his. Tom's eyes slowly drifted shut as slow breaths eased out of his chest.

(0,0)

Tom found himself walking the grounds of the Malfoy Manor. Enjoying the time he spent in the gardens, simply existing for the moment. He listened to the easy sounds of nature as he followed the worn paths. He found himself by a river. He briefly wondered why. Then he saw a still form lying beside the river. Inside he panicked, but instead of showing it he wandered over and lay down next to the head of dark hair.

"Hello Tom."

"Harry." Tom looked up at the crystal clear sky, "Where are we?"

"No idea." Harry paused, "But it's nice here. I like it."

Tom felt a small smile of his own at Harry's innocent words, "Me too."

The two laid side-by-side for a long moment. Enjoying the sunshine as it warmed them, the nice breeze to soothe their too hot skin, and the occasional cloud to give them a respite from the bright light. It was peaceful for the two men. Lying there appreciating nature and their companion.

"I wish we had done this before." Harry's soft words broke the silence, "We've done a lot with each other, but never just enjoyed a day like this."

"I wish we had more time together. To do everything with each other." Tom shook himself, "But wishes are just a waste of thought."

Harry let out a light laugh, "Still. I just want to be able to share all of this with you."

"We're here now Harry. Let's just rest here, without you talking away the quiet. You'll scare the sun away if you keep that up."

Harry laughed again. The sound bright and cheery, it filled Tom with both sunshine and clouds as he remembered why he was so miserable. He closed his eyes and let the sound wash over him for a long moment. Long after it had faded into silence he sat there absorbing the moment.

(0,0)

Tom blinked awake. Suddenly aware of the pain in his back from sleeping hunched over the bed. He sighed when he looked up at the slight frame denting the bed. He moved to pull his hand away from where it was locked around Harry's smaller one. He had a revenge to plan, after all. For a brief moment Tom could have sworn that he felt Harry's twitch within his grasp.

He shook his head at the ridiculous thought. He moved to the bathroom and took a quick shower before changing for the day. He passed Narcissa on his way out of the room. She gave him a small smile and shut the door behind her. Narcissa was planning on taking care of his funeral, all of the arrangements and details in order to make it one that matched his status and his beliefs. Not an easy task.

He reached the main room and looked upon his followers. He was exhausted. Apparently sleeping over Harry's body was not the best way to get rest. He called everyone up to him and informed them of his plan. He needed someone to act as a mouth piece to him. A person who would be willing to act as a person in place of Tom. Several volunteers stepped forward eager to prove themselves.

Tom stayed with the tried and true and gave a small smile to one of the few people he would willingly say he knew outside of the meetings. Lucius Malfoy stepped forward with a face that was expressionless. Only the slight wrinkles around his eyes and the tense set of his mouth betraying any of the grief that he was experiencing at Harry's death.

"Lucius. I want you to run in my stead for Minister of Magic. You will tell everyone who it is you are there in place of. You will be the figure head for my run."

"Of course, my Lord. Who is it that I will be representing?"

"The orphaned half-blood. Tom Riddle."

(0,0)

Tom felt exhausted after being on his feet for only a few hours. He had never been this tired. Even when he had created the horcruxes he had the energy to fight against those who stood up to him. He refused to say anything and pressed on.

They had planned his political campaign. He was stepping forward as a half-blood. A child raised by muggles and gifted as a wizard. His campaign was based on the idea that the wizards need to stop fighting against each other. Against labels.

Around the time they started to speak on how to handle Scrimgeour, Tom started to fade in and out of the conversation. Eventually he decided that it was time for him to rest. Not that he would ever admit his weakness to any of the people in the room. He raised a hand and the conversation flowed to a halt.

"I believe that this is a topic for a later date. This conversation has gone on long enough and we will never agree on an appropriate punishment for the man. We will meet again tomorrow."

Tom stood from the table and everyone else joined him on his feet. He gave a slight nod and turned towards the door leaving his followers watching after him. The conversation was filled with confusion, worry, and fear as they talked about Harry Potter's death and their Lord's reaction to the young man's demise.

(0,0)

Tom spent the better part of the next few weeks at Harry's bedside. Narcissa told him that they were waiting for someone before they could go through with the funeral. She told him that a stasis charm had been placed on the body until the time came. Tom had protested meekly.

He wanted the body out of sight, but he really was unwillingly to let go of the little piece of Harry that he had left. He often felt so disconnected without the boy's emotions running through him. It was almost as though everything was diluted now. All of the things he should be feeling seemed to be locked behind glass. Something that he could not get rid of.

His hand had somehow found his way into Harry's and he found that it was bizarrely warm. Tom brushed it off as the heat from the sun and simply brushed the bangs off of Harry's forehead again. He groaned as he dropped his head back against the bed. His cheek laid against the bed spread as he looked up at the still face of the man who he had grown to love.

It was getting ridiculous. The longer he was away from the room, the more exhausted he felt. He only ever felt comfortable at the boy's side. He never left for more than a couple hours a day and usually spent the rest of his time at Harry's side. Narcissa had moved a bed into the room so that Tom could sleep without the back pains that came from slouching in the chair.

Besides that he now had dreams about Harry every time he shut his eyes. Harry was always there and sometimes it was as simple as watching clouds. Other times it was romantic, they would dance to charmed music in a gazebo. Every once and a while Harry would come running at him in a panic. Every time Harry would say that he loved Tom. And every time Tom gave him a small smile before waking up.

He wished he could have figured all of his emotions out before Harry fell into his arms. He fought back the depression that threatened to overwhelm him. The feeling of emptiness the only thing that he could actually feel now that Harry was gone.

He moved to his bed, laying on his side so that he was facing Harry. He drifted to sleep with his eyes focusing on Harry moments before he found himself alone.

(0,0)

Tom did not understand. He was standing in a labyrinth made out of hedges in what he assumed was supposed to be the garden. He saw the blue sky above him, even the heat from the sun on his skin. But something was wrong. He felt cold as he turned in circles before taking off down a random path.

Where was Harry?

It made no sense. Harry always showed up right after Tom if he wasn't there before him. It sent panic shooting through his system as he took turn after turn, hoping to find Harry. The young man's name tore from his lips in panted breaths as he ran and ran.

"Harry!" He paused resting along one of the hedges, "Where are you?!"

Tom started walking slower trying to find a clue, any clue, as to where the raven could be.

"You have to find me, Tom." Tom felt his heart stop at the pain in the familiar voice.

"Where are you? I'll find you! Harry!"

"It's dark Tom. I'm looking for you, but you're not here."

"Where is here?" Tom knew he sounded frantic, he started running towards where the voice was coming from.

"You have to find me." The voice was behind him, Tom turned.

"I'm coming Harry." He called hoping he could hear him.

"Please Tom." A new direction, Tom turned.

"Stop moving Harry. I'll come for you!"

"Help me, Tom. Find me." The voice was fading.

"No, Harry wait!" He ran again. The same direction.

The hedges seemed to disappear. Tom saw a flash of the dark hair as he turned this corner, a tan shoulder around the next. He heard a peaceful laugh and raced towards the echo. Tantalizing hints of the man he loved came and went as he raced bend after bend. Running faster anything to catch up.

He followed Harry's head of hair around a final corner and came face to face with a dead end. No exits, just a solid barrier made of stone. Tom leaned against it, hoping desperately for the give that he knew would not come. He gave a groan of frustration. He fell forward. His head rested against the cool stone as he slammed the side of his fist against it.

"I will find you, Harry. I will always find you."

(0,0)

Tom let out a cry as he sat up from the terrifying dream. He looked over at the still form that lay on the other bed. He pulled the sheets back and stood. Walking over to the young man's side he brushed fingertips gently against the soft skin of his cheek. He felt a wave of guilt crash over him

"I found you, Harry."

His voice caught and he fell to his knees on the floor beside the bed. His hands gripping Harry's still one desperately. He gasped silent, tearless sobs feeling as though he had let the Chosen One down. This young man had meant so much to him.

"I found you."

He stood and moved to the other bed. He accepted the fact that the form was still. He was done his job with Harry was finished. Now he just had to revenge the young man. Something he kept putting off. He needed to deal with Scrimgeour and then move on. Harry was gone.

He lay down and pulled the blankets over him lying with his back to the other side of the room, looking at the blank wall. As he drifted to sleep he felt a single tear slide down his cheek. He studiously ignored the voice in his head that told him not to give up. He ignored the brushing in the back of his mind that whispered to him.

_"__Keep looking, Tom. Find me."_

(0,0)

Tom woke from a dreamless sleep. He rolled over and looked at the still body on the bed. His mind was made up. It was time to end this nonsense. He got dressed for the day a little slower than usual. He knew what he was going to do. He had to do it. But that did not mean that it needed to be done right away.

Tom dawdled over drying his hair. Drew out the process of picking out an outfit. Searched for a pair of matching socks with no holes. Changed his jacket multiple times before settling with the first one anyway. Agonized over which set of black robes would go best. And finally he was out of stalling techniques.

He pulled on and tied his last shoe looking at Harry all the while. He stood and walked over to the head of black hair with a gentle smile and brushed the still cheeks with the backs of his fingers. He gave a final sigh and walked from the room determinedly avoiding looking back at the young man.

He ran into Narcissa and stopped her before she could move past him.

"It's time Narcissa. I don't know who or what you are waiting for."

"I'm certain they'll be here soon, we just have to wait a little longer." Her eyes looked guiltily away as she finished.

Tom sighed, "It's been a month. It's time to let go. Put all of us out of our misery."

"I guess you're right. We'll plan it for this weekend." She still avoided his eyes.

"Alright."

She walked past him and down the hall before he called after her.

"Narcissa?" She glanced over her shoulder, "Take the second bed out. I'll sleep in my own room tonight."

Narcissa gave a small sigh, a nod, and continued on her way. Tom stopped himself from changing his mind and hurried on his way. Once again ignoring the brushing on the back of his mind.

_"__Don't leave. You have to find me."_

(0,0)

Tom stood in front of his followers with cold eyes. He had called them all rather suddenly after almost a week long rest. They stood in front of him as always. Tom called Lucius and Severus up to him and spoke to the entire room.

"It is time. Today we will avenge the young man who gave his life for me. Today, we take care of Scrimgeour."

Lucius turned to Tom with a respectful nod, "What is the plan my lord?"

Tom grinned and several of his followers flinched at the sudden likeness to the snake-like Voldemort of the not so distant past.

Tom spoke again and all ears were trained on him as he laid out the plan in intricate detail. The revenge was to be proper and to Harry's liking. They were not going to attack him, so much as let him hang himself. Lucius let a smirk decorate his face, until he heard that he was not to take part. As the figurehead to Riddle's campaign, his hands needed to stay clean. Lucius nearly protested, but managed to catch himself in time.

Draco was the one called forward to take a lead in the revenge, something for which he was extremely grateful. His best friend and the pseudo-brother of his boyfriends was gone. To Draco and many others, this time it was personal.

So the plan was set in motion. Tom watched as everyone disappeared to their points and he slowly grabbed his cloak before stepping outside the wards and apparating to the Ministry. Just outside he watched as everyone walked by him not paying attention. He smirked to himself as someone ran into him, telling him to watch where he was going, before shoving passed Tom and into the throng of people.

Tom walked up to the front desk and handed over his wand receiving a name tag and directions in return. This could be a whole lot of fun if they ever figured out who he was. He slid into an elevator along with a red headed man who he assumed had to be one of the Weasley family.

Another woman followed him and started up a conversation with the man. Suspicions confirmed that it was one of the Weasley clan. The father apparently. He spoke of his worry for his two twin sons. They had been awfully quiet lately but were refusing to talk about whatever had put them in a melancholy. Tom pushed aside thoughts of exactly what they were missing just as the woman parted with a few encouraging words.

Tom watched as the red head sorted through his thoughts rushing off in robes that looked surprisingly good for a man who worked a lower position in the Muggle part of the ministry. He briefly wondered how the family was planning on coming into the money they stole from Harry's accounts.

Tom shook his head to clear the anger and managed to give Arthur a small nod as the man exited a floor below where Tom was heading.

Tom walked up to the secretary and asked her to let the Minister know that there was a Tom Riddle requesting a meeting with him.

"I'm sorry, sir. He is in a meeting at the moment, would you like me to set you up with an appointment?"

Tom gave her an understanding smile, "I understand that. Could you manage to send him a tiny message that I wanted to speak with him about the event about a month ago in a warehouse?"

The secretary giggled at his charming smile and held up a finger, seconds later a small paper plane was soaring off to another room at the end of the hall.

"Thank you, dear. I appreciate you doing this for me."

"It was no trouble I assure you."

A loud crash sounded from down the hall and Tom let her see another kind smile before moving to sit in a chair. He waited only moments before a sloppily cast charm showed the barest hint of a note, appeared in front of the secretary.

"Oh. It appears that he has time to meet with you. Down the hall, third door on the right."

"I greatly appreciate this. Have a wonderful day, Miss."

She let out another small giggle and waved him off.

Tom turned his back to her before letting a maniacal grin cover his face. Time to mess with the minister. A few good followers and a solid plan in place. The minister was basically going to hang himself.

This was going to be fun.

(0,0)

Tom knocked on the open door and looked into the pale face of Scrimgeour. The man looked simply terrified as he looked up at the man who he had tried to have executed a month prior. Tom took advantage of his shock to move himself into the room and close the door.

"Why, thank you minister. I am so glad that you decided to accept my meeting. I have a few questions if you don't mind."

"What are you doing here?" Scrimgeour managed to gasp out.

"Tsk. Tsk. You know it is impolite to ask questions when I arranged the meeting."

The man behind the desk ground his teeth together but said nothing else.

"Now then. My question is simple. Why haven't you told the public that Harry Potter is dead?"

Scrimgeour growled but did not answer.

Tom sighed and shook his head, "Really. You should learn not to mess with someone like me. You may find that I can cause much more trouble for you are prepared for. I suggest you answer my question."

"Fine." At that moment four aurors appeared in the doorway and marched over to hold Tom at wand point.

Tom rolled his eyes but stood when directed, "Why exactly are you arresting me?"

"No more questions from you. But since you are about to be removed from my sight forever, I will answer one of them."

At Scrimgeour's nod one of the aurors shut the door. Tom recognized him as the man who had cast the curse that killed Harry. Tom swallowed his anger and forced himself to look at the person truly responsible for the death of the young man.

"You see. I plan to arrest you for the murder of Harry Potter. You Lord Voldemort are going to be sent to Azkaban for as long as I can get you there. Everyone is going to hate you and the Death Eaters because of young Harry's death. And that means that I can continue to stomp on all forms of Dark magic."

Tom scoffed at the man shaking his head with a knowing smile, "You really think that you can pin this on me? You need more practice, Rufus."

"Do not speak to me so informally."

Before Tom could retort an emergency message popped into existence between himself and the minister. Scrimgeour's brow furrowed as he looked between Tom and the parchment.

"I don't understand." He shook his head clear, "It's obviously a trick. Arrest him."

Tom concealed his smirk as he was dragged out of the room passed the secretary.

"Minister?" He heard her voice call.

"Don't worry, dear." Tom answered for him, "There's just been a slight misunderstanding."

(0,0)

Tom held his head high up until the moment he heard the door latch behind him as he was shoved into a holding cell. The instant he knew he was alone he collapsed against the wall. The exhaustion was worse now. It had only been a couple of hours and he was ready to just lay down here and sleep for as long as possible.

He knew that the rest of the plan was in motion. The minister had foolishly made the announcement that he had Lord Voldemort prisoner. They had given the minster the rope, now he just had to finish the job. Tom slid down until he was sitting on the floor, head leaning back against the wall. Just an hour or so until he was out of here.

(0,0)

By the time Lucius came for him, Tom was shaking with exhaustion and unable to stand on his own. Lucius paled at the sight of the man and quickly moved to help him up. He started reprimanding the guards for not checking on their 'guests' as he led Tom out of the cell and to the nearest floo. Without pausing for breath, Lucius gave them one last remark before avoiding the floo and apparating out.

Tom nearly fell as they landed inside the sitting room. Lucius guided him to the softest seat and called a house elf. The elf showed up with food and water for the guest moments later. Lucius thanked it hastily before turning to his Lord.

"What happened, my Lord?" He asked with his eyes subserviently lowered to the floor.

"Lucius?" The man blinked and locked eyes with the man, "Call me Tom."

Lucius hesitated before giving a slight nod, "Of course. What happened to you, m-Tom?"

Tom managed a half grin at the way Lucius obviously choked over the new name, "I'm simply tired, no need to fret. You tell me all that happened."

Lucius looked as though he wanted to push the subject but decided against it. He had no idea how far he could push Tom's sudden lapse into camaraderie.

"It went just as you planned, my Lord."

Tom motioned for him to continue, "Details, Lucius. Details."

Lucius shook his head but continued, "Draco posed as Voldemort at the 'attack' on the muggle village. No one was injured, but a few colorful sparks were enough to alert the magical watch. A few of the Order showed up, they did attack them-but I'm sure you can understand that. No one was severely injured though, our side or theirs.

"I was in the middle of press conference announcing your candidacy for Minister next election, when we got the news of the attack and your capture at basically the same time. Of course, that had a few people confused, especially since there were several aurors with their sights on you at the battle. Quite amusing I have to say. Draco apparated randomly to locations then ran around the corner in a muggle neighborhood just as the polyjuice was wearing off.

"He walked back passed the aurors as they were chasing 'Voldemort' and apparated to Hogsmeade then back here. Where he erased his trail. Scrimgeour made the announcement that he had you captured just before the aurors came back saying you got away. Scrimgeour looked like an idiot. Especially when I said that you were Tom Riddle, the candidate that I was announcing.

"Reporters were out for Scrimgeour's blood after that. I did not stay long, I came to get you right after that. They gladly released you since it turned out that not even Voldemort can be in two places at once. It does help that you look nothing like your counterpart."

Tom could not help but smile at their success. Scrimgeour looks like an idiot, they succeeded. Then Tom passed out. Exhaustion overwhelming his system now that he had nothing else to worry about.

(0,0)

Tom was walking the paths of the maze once more. This time he found Harry. Or rather he saw him. The boy was sitting on the other side of what appeared to be a glass wall. Tom started banging his fists against it, desperate to get to Harry again.

"Tom?!"

"What do you want, Harry?"

"Just do me a favor. Will you?"

"Yeah, sure… What?" Tom's voice sleepily acknowledged the boy's presence.

"I need you to open our link again. I have something that you need to see."

"Alright. How?"

"I don't know you're the one who closed it." Tom gave a great sigh and turned to look at the glass.

"Shouldn't there be a door here?" Tom reached forward and traced the glass looking for something.

Harry watched patiently as Tom ran the flat of his hands over the entirety of the wall. Finally, on the right side just off of the hedge, Tom found a crack. He curled his fingers around it pulling it slightly away from the rest. He got it open all of a half inch before he found himself unable to move it.

"Harry, it's stuck."

Harry frowned, "You're trying too hard. Don't think about the door, think about me."

"What that you're an annoying brat?" The door didn't budge, and Harry merely rolled his eyes.

"Not quite what I was going for…" Tom continued without acknowledging his remark.

"Or that you seem to have no concept of Slytherin's qualities? Or that you are as insufferable as Severus said? Or that-" His rant continued in the same frame of insults for a solid five minutes.

"Or should I think about how you have this desire to save everyone? Even a soulless monster. Or maybe I should think about how selfish you are? After all you did sacrifice yourself uncaring about the rest of the world. Not caring a wit about Draco. Or Narcissa. Or me!" Tom's voice grew louder as he started feeling emotions swamp him.

"You never cared at all about how I would feel that you were gone! You are an insufferable, selfish, annoying Gryffindor with a severe hero complex! Goddamn it!" Tom slammed his hands against the glass that still wouldn't open and leaned back against a hedge so that he could still see Harry. Until he dropped his head back into the leaves

"And God knows that I love you for it." He whispered to himself.

He heard the whisper of a breeze and glanced back down to see one Harry Potter standing in front of the now open door.

"I love you too, Tom." Harry raised himself up and gently brushed his lips against Tom's.

(0,0)

Tom sat up straight from the strangest dream. He wrapped his arms around himself as he let the emotions he had been repressing wash over him in uncontrollable waves. He bit the side of his hand to control the sobs. Suddenly he pushed himself to his feet and out of his bed, disoriented by the room for a moment. Then he began staggering his way down the hall and to Harry's room.

He shoved open the door and leaned heavily on the door frame to watch the still body on the now lonely bed. He dropped his head into the wood for a long moment. Then he moved forward, not understanding his own actions. He placed a hand over Harry's and gave it a small squeeze. He felt his heart tug as he let himself understand what this meant for the first time.

He teased Harry in his head about making Tom into a sobbing mess of a girl. He felt a small grin on his lips when he swore he heard Harry's answering chuckle in his head. He admitted to himself and Harry the truth for the first time. He realized that there were some things that he needed to let go of before he could let Harry go.

He sat on the bed next to Harry and pulled Harry's hand into his lap where he held it between both of his own.

"Harry? I know you can't answer, I doubt you can even hear me, but I need to get some things off of my chest. Ever since you moved in here with the Malfoy's and myself, I thought you were a curse. You had taken away everything I had grown to know in a mere day and I had no idea how to handle that. I took it out on you. I never actually realized what you did for me.

"You gave me your soul Harry. Yes, you took away my ability to think rationally and to do whatever I needed to, but you gave me something else. I sound like a complete idiot. You see what you've turned me into?! You know what's worse? I don't even care that you've made me a bumbling Hufflepuff! All I care about is the fact that you're not here. You gave me this gift to feel, and now you're not here to suffer the consequences.

"There are consequences Harry, I hope you understand that. But for now- I'll suffer enough for the both of us. Now I have to deal with the fact that you left me alone after I fell in love with you. I was right you know, you really are a selfish little lion." He chose to ignore the fact that his voice had gone unnaturally gentle, choosing to glare at the boy anyway.

He gave himself the reprimanding chuckle he knew Harry would have given and decided that he had said all he needed to. He leaned down a pressed a gentle kiss to Harry's forehead and moved to step away.

The hand in his moved and Tom froze. He turned to look at the young man. The hand flinched again and Tom moved back to his old spot. His mind stopped working as he sat there. He took a leap of faith and prayed that he was not going to embarrass himself.

_"__Harry?" _He reached through the mental link and found himself brushing against another mind.

_"__Took you long enough."_ At the teasing voice Tom let out a sudden cry and felt himself slouch as he looked at the boy in the bed.

A moment later Narcissa appeared in the doorway, Lucius in tow. Narcissa called his name but Tom never moved his eyes from Harry's face. Suddenly he saw a muscle twitch. He let out a breath and felt his heart start again. He took one of his hands away from Harry's and brushed his fingers across the cheek. Mentally he ordered Harry to wake up. But without the connection the words were useless. Two strong hands grabbed Tom's shoulder and started to pull him away from the raven on the bed.

"No." Tom struggled absently, trying not to lose his grip on Harry's hand or jostle the boy.

"My Lord, you need to go rest. You're working yourself up over nothing." Lucius' words seemed rehearsed and Tom blankly noticed that it Lucius had been expecting this before now.

"No." Tom cried again and refused to be moved. Lucius reached for his wand and Tom turned in a flash to disarm the blonde and throw his wand to the dresser.

"Tom. You need to-"

But they never found out what he needed to do because Draco's voice cut them off.

"Mother!" The two grown wizards turned to see Narcissa looking pale and leaning heavily on her son.

Her eyes were fixed on the bed and slowly all heads turned that direction. There were short movements as though they tried to stop, afraid of what they would see. Draco's eyes widened but he managed to hold his mother up. Lucius gave a sound that sounded much like he was choking. Tom merely stared unable to move, as pink lips opened and closed trying to form a word.

"Tom?"

Green eyes looked at the others in the room before focusing on the Dark Lord. His lips turned up in a slight smile before the green rolled back and Harry's eyes fell closed, again. Narcissa reached a hand forward and placed her fingers on Harry's throat, still leaning on Draco.

Her awed whisper broke the silence even as tears dripped down her face in a steady stream.

"He's alive."

**Okay. That chapter just kept going, I couldn't seem to stop! Hope you all enjoyed it! All explanations will come, but I love hearing all of your theories. Scrimgeour's payback has started and will be worse than he could expect. And can I just say- Dumbledore better watch out…. (Mwahahahaha!)**


	18. Chapter 18

Tom stood where he was staring at Harry's still form. He looked up into Narcissa's eyes and was met with her concerned gaze. He looked at Harry for another moment before turning and leaving the room. He stormed down the hall into his own room. He cast a wandless silencing charm. Picked up the nearest breakable object and threw it into the wall where it promptly shattered into a countless pieces. Shards of it flying across the room scratching Tom's face and embedding themselves in his cloak.

Without missing a beat Tom repaired it, summoned it and sent it crashing into the wall once again. He watched as the pieces shattered again with a blank face. He reached for something else to break. He grabbed a decorative plate and sent it careening into the same wall, adding to the shards. A ceramic figure of untold worth was the next victim. This one flying in a new direction. The broken chunks less satisfying than the others. He grabbed books and threw them across the room where they broke priceless figurines and damaged the wall.

Finally Tom looked at all of the items on the floor. He felt his anger boiling up once again. He drew in a deep breath and let out an angry yell that sent his magic swirling around the room in an uncontrolled tornado of flashing lights, broken glass, and torn pages.

He ran out of air and everything froze in place before falling to the ground already strewn with damage. He collapsed onto his bed and dropped his head into his hands. He took a few shaky breaths that allowed him to become calmer once again. Minutes passed before he was able to sit up and look at the damage he had caused. He glanced around and with a groan fell backwards till he could look up at the relatively unharmed ceiling.

He didn't even know what had caused the anger he had felt. He figured it had something to do with Harry, but more with himself. He had no idea that Harry had been alive this entire time. He had cast no spells to confirm his death, mostly because he had been terrified of the answer. Harry could have been back weeks ago if Tom had just done something.

But more than that, it seemed as though all of the emotional turmoil that he had gone through had been pointless. Harry could have at least found a way to tell Tom that he had still been alive. They did have that mental connection after all.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he began his temper tantrum. And he had no qualms about admitting it was just that, to himself anyway. He knew he should go back in, that someone would have a theory. But he really would rather sit here than do anything else. He knew that Narcissa would know exactly what he had been doing, which made the entire situation acutely embarrassing.

More than that, was the hope and fear that Harry had been able to hear everything that had been going on. He hoped that Harry knew exactly how he felt, because Tom doubted that he would ever be able to say any of it again. He feared that Harry had because he was terrified of the boy's response. More than that he feared what Harry had gone through-hearing and understanding everything without the hope of responding.

A knock sounded on the door. Tom sighed with a wave of his hand he put the room back to rights and moved to let the new comer in.

Opening the door, Tom saw one Draco Malfoy looking determined and frightened out of his mind. He raised an eyebrow at the teen and watched as the blonde took a deep breath and looked up into the red-brown eyes.

"When did you get here?" He asked, after all the boy had started the Hogwart's year just a week ago.

"Mother called Uncle Sev, told him there was a family emergency. He's allowed me to come home after class for the next week or so."

"Why would they do that?"

"I believe that they wanted support. I also hope that it was because they wanted me to see that my best friend was alive after all."

"Next question. Why are you in my room?"

"My Lord. I was hoping that you would accompany me back to Harry's room. I am sure that you would wish to be present for Harry's explanation."

Tom blinked at the formal terms then realized what it all meant. He smirked at the teen.

"Not willing to tell you without me there then?"

Draco slumped over and actually pouted, "No. And Mom wouldn't come get you, Father is simply terrified. I am the only one curious enough to come get you. If you hadn't stormed off, I would already have to story. Stupid Harry."

Draco realized what he'd said and looked up at the Dark Lord with terror written plainly on his face.

"I'm sorry! I was just- I mean- It was. Only that."

Tom let him stumble a little longer before he couldn't help it anymore. He let out sharp laugh and placed a comforting hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I understand Draco. Now what do you say we go see about that story?"

Draco blinked and finally understood why Harry had fallen in love with Tom. He took a deep breath and released all of the worries he held for the raven haired teen. Apparently Tom could be just perfect for Harry. Harry needed someone who he could fight, and who better than his arch-nemesis. Draco laughed and shook his head at Tom's raised eyebrow.

"I think we should go before the curiosity kills me!" Tom gave a wry grin but followed Draco back down the hall.

(0,0)

"Done with your tantrum then?"

Those were the first words that Tom heard as he stepped through the door and back into Harry's room on Draco's heels. Tom felt emotions running over him one after the other. Elation. Gratitude. Anger. Love. Irritation. He held a hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, as he took deep breaths. He wondered why all of his emotions were coming back full force now.

"That depends on your theory."

Harry gave him a grin. Tom looked him over and was somewhat impressed by how he looked nearly healthy. His skin was still a little pale, emphasized by red on his cheeks, and he was leaning up against a pillow so that he could sit more easily, but he still looked healthy. Well, healthy for someone who has been dead for a month now.

Tom scowled, "Well talk. What's this theory you have on why you survived the killing curse? Again."

Harry kept smiling but the light died a little in his eyes as he looked into Tom's fierce stare. Harry took a deep breath and pushed himself up a little more so that he was sitting up a little straighter. He rubbed a hand over his face and looked down at his lap where he folded his hands. He glanced up at Tom for a brief second before he began his story.

"First- know that I had no idea that I would live through that. I honestly thought I was going to die." Harry looked up into Tom's suddenly tense body and hurried on, "Second- Well. It's no one's fault that I was gone as long as I was. I don't blame anyone for not figuring it out. It should have been impossible.

"Okay. So let's start with what happened first. I knew they were going to kill Tom. Even if the auror had been terrified, I think he had enough intent to kill Tom. I didn't want Tom to die like that. Not when he has such great plans for what to do. I guess, I hoped that my death would give everyone a chance to get out. I had no false hopes that they would let Tom live just because I died for him.

"When I pushed Tom out of the way, I felt the curse hit me. I saw green and I opened my eyes to find that I was in something similar to King's Cross Station, only it was absent of everything except the building and everything was white. I saw my mother. She told me some things and I don't really want to tell you all of that, it will take too long anyway. Then she told me that I had a choice. I could move on with her or I could come back for- anyway I came back."

Tom thought about pushing for why he came back, but decided that if Harry was stubborn enough not to die, then he was stubborn enough not to answer. More importantly he was afraid that it was not going to be the answer he wanted.

"I came back, but I couldn't open my eyes. I was so confused, why was I here but not able to do anything? My body was breathing, light and shallow, so light I doubt anyone could have noticed. Then someone put me under a stasis and I no longer needed to breathe and that was quite possibly the most terrifying experience of my life."

Narcissa held back a sob. Without looking up from his lap Harry reached out a hand and squeezed her hand tight.

"I don't blame you, I promise. I felt someone sitting by my side, and somehow I knew it was Tom. He spent most of the time by my side. Sometimes talking and sometimes just sitting. One of the first things he said to me was a complaint about how tired he was." Tom felt his breath catch as he realized Harry heard and remembered everything, "I remember he jokingly said that it was my fault. I didn't think about it at first, until Narcissa came in and started talking about how Tom was so tired now, but he always looked so much better when he was in my room.

"It got me thinking. One day I drifted off to sleep, don't ask me why I needed to sleep, and I fell into one of my old dreams. The thing was that Tom was different, not different from real life, different from how he used to be. Soon after that I noticed that I only dreamt when Tom was asleep. Otherwise everything was just black. Then Tom mentioned his dreams absently.

"I realized that Tom was seeing my dreams. Which meant that the connection was still there. I kept trying to reach out to him, but he only ever heard me when we were sleeping. It took a while but I realized that Tom had been shutting me out. Which is a reason why he was so depressed, he had blocked our connection, he had no way to interact with the emotions that he had been getting off of me."

Draco was unable to stay silent, "Okay, but why weren't you able to show us that you were awake?"

Harry glared at him, "Just be patient. I was trapped inside my own body because of the stasis charm. I broke free of it on occasion, but never enough to do much of anything before it set back in. Once I was able to squeeze Tom's hand. By the time he noticed it, I was already under the charm again."

Tom moved closer to the bed and went to take Harry's hand again. He noticed that all eyes were on him and simply set his hand on the bed for support. Harry let a small smile curve his lips and reached out to take Tom's hand in his own. Tom felt himself blush when Draco sighed.

He moved his mouth closer to Harry's ear, "I'm sorry," Tom whispered gently.

Harry shivered and squeezed Tom's hand again.

"Finally." Narcissa heard her son and barely held back a giggle that arose.

"Wait." Narcissa spoke to distract both men from glaring holes into her son, "Harry I'm flattered, but you cannot tell me that you were unable to break through my charms. I've seen you tear wards apart before."

"I didn't have access to all of my magic. I think I guessed about a week or so ago that Tom was blocking more than just my emotions. I think that when he realized I was dying, he unconsciously grabbed onto my soul. I think that Tom grabbed the part of my soul that he shared and then blocked it. That's why the mental link was iffy and our emotions were going haywire."

"Hold on. You mean your soul is inside of the Dark Lord. So basically Tom is now your horcrux as much as you are his? Great. Does this mean you two are never going to die?!"

Harry glared at Draco, wanting him to stop before he ruined it. Tom squeezed Harry's hand and Harry looked back at him. Tom gave him a smile and Harry shifted so that he was leaning against Tom instead of the pillows. Tom moved his free arm and placed it around Harry's shoulders.

"I had a couple more weeks and I noticed that I was breaking out of the charm more often, I also noticed that Tom was starting to open up to me more. A few days ago I became desperate when Narcissa mentioned that Tom was getting desperate to have his revenge. I worried that you would be able to let me go as soon as Scrimgeour paid. I sent you one of my nightmares instead of a dream.

"It was awful being with you like that and having to scare you, but I was running out of options. You were opening up to me slowly with the good dreams, but it was going far too slowly. I tried a different tactic. You hesitated in the room. You heard me, I know you did, but you said nothing. Narcissa came in about five minutes after you left and was crying. She told me that the funeral was to be this weekend.

"Instead of bringing you towards me, I pushed you away. Then I felt you get hurt. I think the reason that you were so exhausted all of the time was because you were fighting against my soul and yours. They both needed to connect with me but you did not realized because you thought that I was dead. Although I will admit that I have the best corpse imitation out there."

The room gave a laugh at Harry's joke.

Tom realized something, "Is that why you sent that final dream?"

Harry looked up at Tom and nodded, "Basically I got your subconscious to free me. You needed to get rid of all of the anger and frustration you were harboring before you could let me go. Then you came in here and said-" Harry cut himself off, "you came in and all of the sudden my soul was working again. Your soul and my soul were back together inside of me. That's what I think happened to let me overcome the charm that Narcissa cast. I was able to access all of my magic." Harry took a deep breath.

"Tom? I think that we both now share the two souls. Instead of one soul, one body. I think that we have two souls that are shared by the both of us. I not sure that I would count it as a horcrux and I don't think that we will live forever, but who knows."

Harry took another breath like he was going to start babbling and Tom untwined their hands and placed a finger on his lips.

"I guess we'll have to wait and figure it out as we go."

Harry gave Tom a blinding smile and Tom felt him shift so that he was leaning just a little more against him. Tom felt his own smile grown and pulled Harry tighter against him. Tom looked above Harry's head and gave Draco a glare that dared him to say anything. Draco gave an unrepentant grin and shrugged. Lucius caught the Dark Lord's eye as he pointedly looked at the door. The older blonde gave a nod and silently directed Narcissa and Draco out of the room.

Tom pulled back slightly to look into Harry's bright green eyes.

"Harry?"

"Tom."

Tom took his free hand and moved until he was cupping Harry's face in his palm. He brushed his thumb gently across Harry's cheekbones. Harry started to lean forward and Tom copied him almost a little too eagerly. All of the sudden Harry stopped. He pulled back and Tom reluctantly dropped his hand from the boy's face.

"Harry? What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering. Are we-? I mean… It's just that… I wanted to know…" Harry's Gryffindor courage failed him, "What are we going to do for revenge on Dumbledore?"

Tom's eyes widened in surprise and then reflected the pain he felt at what he supposed was Harry's rejection of him. Harry mentally slapped himself and tried to capture Tom's hand in his again.

"Tom. I didn't mean that. It was just that-"

"It's alright Harry. No harm done." Harry looked up into Tom's hard eyes and did not believe that for a second.

"Tom."

"You're right. What are we going to do to Dumbledore? Let's go talk to Lucius and the others. I'm sure they'll have plenty ideas on how we can best get him back for all of the things he's done."

Harry felt Tom move away from him. "Tom?"

"I hope that you are okay to walk? If I'm right the stasis charm should have prevented atrophy. You should be fine." He moved to the door.

"Tom, wait."

Too late. Tom walked out the door leaving Harry alone in his room. Harry cursed his stupidity. He had worried that Tom was just going to use him. That he was going to think up reasons for them not to be together. He was going to simply ask Tom if they were going to be a couple. But then he had chickened out, worried about Tom's answer. He felt the regret seep into him and dropped his head into his hands.

He sat there for a minute hoping Tom would come back. When nothing happened he took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He shifted so that his feet were hanging off the bed. In one smooth movement he pushed himself to his feet. He wobbled and nearly fell as he adjusted to the sudden height change.

He felt a strong arm around his waist and looked up at Draco. He gave a sigh and started to walk. Draco stayed by his side and guided him slowly down the hall. Just outside of a pair of closed doors Draco pulled Harry to a stop.

"What the hell did you do?" Harry could hear several emotions in Draco's voice, layered so thick he couldn't tell what they were. Except for the disappointment that appeared in his eyes as well.

"We almost kissed. Then I changed the subject. I was trying to ask him if we- never mind. The point is I asked about Dumbledore. Turns out his an excellent way to ruin the moment."

Draco scowled but his voice was still quiet when he spoke again, "Tom came in here shaking. I think he was almost in tears. When he saw us he turned into the cold bastard that he was before you came. His voice was cold when he started talking about revenge. When you didn't show up right away he stood. Then sat and motioned to me. He sent me to bring you here."

"Damn it!" Harry ran a hand through his hair, "I just wanted to make sure that he wasn't in shock. The last thing I wanted was to have him kiss me and then regret it later!"

Draco stared at him surprised and apparently amused, "You really are an idiot. Trust me, there was no way he was going to regret the kiss. The timing yes, but not kissing you."

Before Harry could reply, Draco opened the door and shoved Harry inside. Harry tripped over a rug and went down face first.

(0,0)

Tom was on his feet and helping Harry up in an instant. Harry stood on shaky legs and glared at Draco, who looked smug, before smiling up at Tom. Tom started to smile back, but in an instant the shutters closed over his eyes and Harry was cut off.

Tom moved Harry over to the couch and pushed him to sit. Harry sat gratefully assuming that Tom would sit with him. As soon as Harry sat down, Tom was on the other side of the room sitting in his own comfy chair. Harry withdrew into himself wondering if he would ever be able to get Tom to forgive him, or at least listen to his apology. Harry was called back to the others when Draco flopped down next to him, obviously disappointed in the two dark haired wizards.

"So Harry," Lucius broke the uncomfortable silence, "What reasons can you bring to the table for wanting to get revenge on Dumbledore?"

Harry looked at Tom, but the man refused to meet his eyes, with a sigh he turned to fully face Lucius Malfoy.

"The last time Tom and I actually spoke I was hung over beyond belief." Tom seemed shock by the opening of his story, "The reason I was hung over actually rested with Dumbledore and company."

Lucius frowned, "Explain."

"Dumbledore had access to my bank account. As I'm sure you know, the Potter's were not exactly a poor family. Even so a couple hundred thousand galleons is not a small amount, which is the amount that Dumbledore took out and gave to himself, the Dursley's, and the Weasley family. They were paid to treat me like family."

Tom said nothing and still refused to look at anyone else, apparently lost in his own thoughts. The Malfoy family, on the other hand, were absolutely livid.

"How on earth could he do that?!"

Harry shrugged, "He was my magical guardian. Apparently the Dursley's can't have access to my account because they're muggles. Not that it stopped Dumbledore from giving them money, I guess he was trying to help them feed and clothe me. At least I assume that it was given to them to take care of me. I wonder sometimes with Dumbledore."

"What do you mean?" Tom spoke up and Harry whirled to look at him, but the man was still avoiding his eyes.

"I saw how you were introduced to magic. It confused the hell out of me. Do you know who came to take me to Diagon Alley? It was Hagrid. He never even graduated school, but he came to teach me about the wizarding world. I can't imagine what I would have done if the letters hadn't been destroyed by my aunt and uncle."

Lucius frowned, "Policy says that all muggle-raised wizards be greeted by a teacher at the school they are accepted into."

"Hermione Granger was. I guess they figured that I already knew, that my 'guardians' told me."

Lucius shook his head, "Doesn't matter. Even someone raised by a squib, or one muggle parent, or raised by wizards in the muggle world would get a teacher to come escort them.

Harry shrugged, "I hoped that it was just an over sight. Can I mention all of the dangers he let me get myself into? The first time I met Voldemort was when I was serving detention in the Forbidden Forest with Draco first year."

Lucius looked furious, "He sent first years into the Forbidden Forest?!"

Harry frowned and looked at Draco who seemed to be attempting to disappear into the cushions, "You didn't tell him?"

"No. Kind of embarrassing how I ran and abandoned you."

"Draco. We were _eleven!_ I would have run if I hadn't been doubled over in pain."

"Not the point though is it."

Harry turned back to his story, "I just feel that Dumbledore is trying to manipulate me into serving him blindly. Do you know that he had this plan that sent me off to destroy all of Voldemort's horcruxes, then sacrifice myself, so that we could kill him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm guessing that was his plan. He was building up to it with all of his 'lessons' on Voldemort."

Everyone was silent. The new information running around their heads as they tried to process all of it. Narcissa was the first one to speak up.

"Any ideas on how to pay him back in kind?"

Harry smirked, "I was thinking of going out in public and sharing all of it with the world. Tarnish his perfect reputation. But I really don't want all of it to get out."

"Probably wise."

"I could also tell the world a bunch of lies, but that could blow up in my face."

Narcissa nodded.

"I think my personal favorite plan is telling him to fight his own wars and siding with Voldemort."

"I have a better idea." All eyes flew to Draco, well except Tom's.

"Show up in Diagon Alley. With no disguise. People will see you, Dumbledore will be a liar after all he's the one who said you were dead in the first place. All doubts will vanish. Then you support Tom in the upcoming election. When Tom wins, you take away his school."

Harry's eyes widened in glee, Lucius looked proud at his devious son, Narcissa looked torn between praising and reprimanding him, and Tom gave a small smirk as he thought it over.

"I like it." Harry said simply, "When do we start?"

"It's a good plan, but we're going to need some modifications in order for it to work properly." Harry turned to smile at Tom's words, only to find that his eyes were on Draco.

Harry felt the lump form in his throat. He knew that Tom did not have a thing for Draco, that wasn't the cause. No. The cause was simply the fact that it took Draco to get Tom to say something. Harry had been wrong to jump into it, but instead of saying something Tom was ignoring him.

Harry decided to take a page out of Tom's book. He sat back against the couch and let them plan. Draco and the group ignored Harry's movement in favor of starting work on a new plan.

"What's your plan?"

(0,0)

Draco was getting ready to rip his hair out. Ever since that day in the parlor, Tom and Harry had not spoken one word to each other. They had decided to use him as a reference point. Tom would ask if Harry was okay, Harry would ask if Tom was still interested. Tom would fret that he should have let Harry explain, Harry would complain that he missed the older man.

Draco was only here in the evenings and then only for a couple of hours. There was no way for him to be able to answer all of their questions. When Harry leaned over to ask it something, Draco snapped. Finally he had enough. He looked between them both at dinner before setting his fork down and pushing back his plate.

"Harry." The green eyes looked at him, "I hope that you think of me as a mate, but I have to tell you I can't handle this. Make-up or leave me alone."

He turned to Tom, "My Lord. I regret to inform you that I am not a healer, or an owl."

With that Draco stood and walked from the room. Harry looked after him, wondering what set him off. Looking that direction, he missed the scowl on Tom's face as he tried to destroy his dinner.

(0,0)

The plan was in place. It was going to require a little truth stretching, but Harry already told them that he was not going to be able to lie about anything. Plus it made it easier if someone tried to slip him veritaserum. Today was the day that they had picked to put it all out there.

The first thing that Harry thought as he stepped into Hogsmeade was that Tom had made a brilliant choice. The idea of putting him in Diagon Alley was too risky. Those people assumed he was dead, it was doubtful that anyone would even recognize him.

Students from his school, would be much more likely to believe that he had survived. Neville had already written to Neville informing him of his plan, so that he did not ruin everything. The story was that Harry had written to say that he was alright, but never told the other boy what he was doing.

Harry was glad to see that Draco had not been lying when he said that literally everyone was going to the little village. He grinned and slipped out of his alley and began the walk down the main street. It took all of a minute for someone to spot him. Surprise, surprise, it was one Collin Creevey.

"Harry?" Harry turned and spotted the young Gryffindor.

"Hey Collin, look no photo's okay?" Harry smiled and Collin's jaw dropped.

He stood still for all of a second before a sudden grin appeared on his face. The young boy started laughing hysterically and threw himself at the older teen.

"HARRY!"

All of the sudden, hundreds of eyes turned to look at the flabbergasted Boy-Who-Lived. Everyone began crowding closer and questions started pouring out.

"Collin? What's going on? I'm only a couple of weeks late…"

Collin shifted back a little, embarrassed by his actions, "_The Prophet_ said that you were dead. Dumbledore told them that you were captured by Death Eaters and killed. Two months ago the minister confirmed it. You're supposed to be _dead!"_

Harry frowned, "Dumbledore sent me out after Voldemort. It took a little longer than I thought, but I finished the job. Why would he say I was dead?"

"You mean… You-Know-Who's dead?!"

Harry gave him a small smile and ruffled his hair, "Yeah, kid. Voldemort's dead."

Several squeals of delight, mixed with stunned expressions, and snorts of disbelief filled the air.

"What's going on here?!" A familiar voice filled the air.

The crowd of younger students separated and made room for the Head Boy.

"Hey Draco."

Draco's jaw dropped. He recovered himself after just long enough for people to have noticed. He put on his patented sneer.

"Sure took you long enough. Couldn't get enough out of the whole hero thing could you? No you had to go back and milk it, making us all think that you were dead."

Harry grinned, "I missed you too." He pulled Draco into a hug that the blonde returned for a mere moment before pulling away.

He fixed his hair and glared at Harry, "Well I suppose that you should go up to the school. Let Professor Snape and the Headmaster know that you're still alive, and decided to grace us with your humble presence."

He faked a bow and Harry snorted shoving him out of the way.

"Knock it off already, no one believes you, twit."

Draco gave a haughty sniff and turned to yell at all the younger years telling them to get out of the way.

**I think everyone should be impressed with how fast this was written. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm guessing there's only going to be a few more chapters so hang in there! Please review, too!**


	19. Chapter 19

Draco cleared the way for Harry to move up to the castle. Several people had come up to him and told him various reasons why they were glad that he was okay. Harry gave them all smiles and told them that he would get everything cleared up and not to worry about any of it.

He caught Draco's eye several times and could tell that he was laughing at Harry. Meanwhile, Harry kept growing more and more annoyed as he realized that none of these people actually knew him. Some, like Collin, were people who he had talked to, but most were just people who knew his name. He kept his smile up as he shook hands and waved at a few people.

Suddenly he ran into Neville. The boy was doing a fantastic job of looking shocked to see Harry.

"Harry! I'm so glad that you're okay! I mean I know you said you were but that was _months_ ago. I figured one of the Death Eaters had gotten you! Then the minister made his announcement… And man am I glad to see you!"

Harry laughed and put a hand on Neville's shoulder, "It's good to see you too. I have to head up to the castle, some nonsense about me being dead and all. Better get that cleared up."

It was then that Harry noticed two groups of people coming at him from two different directions. He gave Neville a smile and began walking towards the least threatening group.

"Hey guys! What's up?"

Out of nowhere Harry was punched in the face. Harry stumbled back a step, miraculously not stepping on anyone. He held a hand to his cheek and turned his eyes on the furious red-head.

"Don't talk to us, traitor!"

Harry blinked slowly and turned to walk away.

"Don't just walk away from us!"

Harry froze and turned to face them fully knowing that his magic was beginning to circle around him. Harry took a deep breath and pinned Ron in his furious gaze.

"I can't talk, can't walk. What can I do Ronald?"

"You can go back to your filthy Death Eater friends!"

"Ron." Hermione shook his head and tried to pull him away, "Not in public!" Ron didn't move.

Harry shook his head, "Ronald, Ronald, Ronald. Do you really think that any of them will talk to me?"

Ron attempted a sneer, "Of course, ever since you turned traitor! Ever since you started supporting You-Know-Who!"

"Ron, he's gone."

"Gone. Sure, I believe you. Let me guess vacation in France?"

"No Ron. He won't be bothering us anymore. I swear it."

Ron blinked. "You mean… He's dead?"

Hermione spoke, "Who's dead?"

"As far as I'm concerned? That would be my two ex-best friends. The world? That would be a monster named Voldemort."

Right on cue two bright flashes came, Ron paled when he realized that everything he said had been heard by one infamous reporter, Skeeter.

"How do you know, Harry?"

"I have to go see the Headmaster. If you'll excuse me…"

"Harry? How do you know that You-Know-Who is dead?"

"He's gone. That's all you need to know."

Harry pushed past the reporters, ignore the yells of Hermione and Ron. Their apologies that he knew meant nothing. This was just a great way to get them back for last year. He followed Draco back to the castle and was soon surrounded by a heard of Slytherins who kept anyone else from coming near him.

Harry cast a grateful glance at Blaise and Nott. They smiled then shook their heads. Theodore pointed over at Pansy and Harry saw her smile tightly at him. Harry gave her a genuine smile and mouthed a 'thank you' in her direction. She rolled her eyes and turned away, muttering something.

Harry grinned when her words reached his ears, "Bloody Gryffindor."

Soon enough the group of Slytherins had made it inside the castle gates. They made their way straight to the dungeons. Draco rapped on the man's chamber door and motioned for everyone else to scatter. A couple more nods and brief touches on Harry's shoulder, and the two friends found themselves alone in the hallway.

"Who is it, now?!" They heard Snape snarl has he moved to the door.

Draco grinned, "Just me, Uncle!"

"Impudent brat." They heard him mutter as he pulled open the door, "What is it Draco?"

"Someone I thought you might want to see."

Harry moved until he could see his professor. The man looked horrible. His eyes were bloodshot and he was sporting stubble on his pointed chin. His hair was greasier than usual and his skin looked as though it was going to shatter at any moment.

"Hello, Professor."

Harry was unsure whether to be flattered or worried when Snape merely stepped back and gestured for them to come into his room. Not a word was spoken as the boys followed. A quick glance at Draco proved that Harry should definitely be worried.

(0,0)

Snape was sitting in his personal quarters simply staring at Harry. Draco and Harry were uncomfortable to say the least. Snape had not said one word since Harry showed himself and it did not look as though that were about to change. Eventually, Harry had enough.

"Professor!" The man's eyes never shifted from Harry's face.

"Uncle Sev? What's wrong?" Draco was giving Harry a look that promised pain in large quantities in the very near future.

Snape shook his head. He still said nothing. Harry listened to Draco talking for another number of minutes before growing insanely tired. Draco had tried everything. Pleading was ignored. Begging was brushed off. Gentle questions were answered with nodding and shaking of the head. When nothing was changing half an hour later Harry took matters into his own hands.

"_Aguamenti_!" He shouted with his wand pointed at Snape's face.

Finally a real reaction. Snape spluttered and brought his hands up to cover his face. Draco turned to Harry and cuffed him upside the head.

"What is wrong with you?!" Draco yelled into his face.

Harry gave an unrepentant shrug. Draco started to yell again but was cut off by a quiet voice behind him.

"How are you alive?"

"Snape?"

"Everyone said you were dead. Everyone. Dumbledore. The Dark Lord. The Minister. Everyone."

Harry shifted uncomfortably, "Yeah, well, technically they were right. I was dead. Our best guess is that opening the mental link between Tom and me, more our souls actually, saved me. Again."

Snape blinked up at him and reached out to grab his hands. Harry stood frozen in front of him, not able to understand what was going on. Draco was in a similar state. Snape went back to staring but this time he pulled himself to his feet so that he could stand in front of Harry.

"Harry." Snape breathed and pulled the young man close to him in some kind of embrace.

Awkwardly Harry placed his hands on Snape's chest. He stood there frozen for a long moment trying to understand what in the hell was going on. He gave up and pushed Snape gently back a step.

Snape moved back easily but placed his hands against Harry's face, cupping the young face in the palm of his hand.

"I didn't fail her. I didn't you're okay." He kept repeating similar phrases under his breath.

"Sir?"

A blast of water came from nowhere and caught both of the dark haired wizards.

"What the hell, Draco?!"

Apparently that second blast of water did the trick for Snape. Either that or the knock on the door. Harry suspected it was the latter. Snape looked down at Harry in surprise before shaking his head and stepping further away from the two younger me. Harry watched as Snape took a deep breath and centered himself, gathering the Potion's Master personality to himself.

"Yes?" His voice was cold even as his eyes stayed on Harry's.

"Severus? I believe you have a guest, one who I should see."

Snape waved his hand and the door opened to allow Dumbledore in. Harry stepped back further from Snape and closer to the other exit, although he had no idea where it might lead.

"Harry, my boy! So happy to see that you're alright!"

Harry snorted but said nothing.

"I believe that we have much to discuss. I hear that you are under some false impressions regarding myself and the Order."

Dumbledore took a step closer and Harry took one back.

"False impressions? So you didn't send Snape to take me to Voldemort? You didn't steal money from me to pay someone to be my best friend? You didn't kidnap me from my own home?!"

"Harry." Dumbledore gave him a disapproving look, "You were being unreasonable. Drastic measures had to be taken. Come now, I'll explain everything."

"Why don't you explain it here?"

"I'm sure you would rather talk about this in a more private setting…" He sent a pointed glare at Draco.

Harry laughed outright, "No offense, Professor, but I really don't trust you all that much right now. I think I'll take my chances with Draco."

"Why the hell did you tell everyone I was dead after you sent me to Voldemort?"

"Because I thought you would be dead. We did not hear from you for weeks, what was I supposed to assume?"

"Maybe you should have, I don't know, not sent me there in the first place?" Harry's tone was jolly enough, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

"I thought you needed to see that the Malfoy's were in league with the Dark Lord. It seemed like the best way."

Harry spluttered, "Best way?! I could have died! What good would that have done you?!"

"Harry-"

"No! I'm done. Why would I work for you anymore?"

"Harry we just-"  
"Just what?! Just want to kill me?! Just want to push me towards practical suicide! Just send me, an untrained seventeen year old boy out to kill the Dark Lord! Why don't you just kill me yourself?"

"Harry, we want to protect you. What has he done to you?"

"Why do you care?!"

"Because you need to kill Voldemort! I need my glory and you are the only way I'm going to get it."

Everyone stared at Dumbledore. He cursed himself and opened his mouth more than likely to wave off what he had said. Harry moved forward and cut him off before he could say anything more.

"Well, congratulations. Voldemort's gone. I finished him. He's not coming back. And now you can have your precious glory."

Harry moved around the headmaster, avoiding the man's hand as it reached out in an attempt at consolation or comfort. He gave a nod back to Draco and Snape and slid out the door. He shut it behind him but could hear shouts coming from behind the closed door. He refused to show any sign of his inner turmoil and made his way to the Slytherin common room.

(0,0)

Tom paced back and forth in his room the morning after Harry's departure. Thoughts and curses ran rampant through his mind as he relived Harry's wakening and the kiss that they hadn't shared. His thoughts basically centered on Harry. If he was okay. If their plan had worked. If Dumbledore had confronted him yet. And most importantly, if Harry could forgive him.

Soon enough Tom found himself being informed by a house elf that the Master was going to be eating soon and that his presence would be welcomed. Tom gave a final sigh and looked out his window at the clear blue sky. Then with a brief nod to the elf he made his way down the stairs and into the dining room.

Breakfast was a melancholy affair as the three impatiently waited news of the two young wizards. Just as Tom took the last bite of his food, a tapping was heard at a window. Tom moved quickly over to the window, opening it just enough to grab the paper it was carrying. His motions earned him a disapproving frown from a house elf who was supposed to get the mail and an understanding smile from Narcissa. The woman quickly paid the owl and waited for Tom to share the news.

He turned around a triumphant grin on his face that brought relieved smiles from the two Malfoy's. He turned the paper so that they could see the large headline and the moving picture of Harry moving through the streets of Hogsmeade.

_"Boy-Who-Still-Lives Returns to Hogwarts: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns to Grave,"_ were less interesting than the headline in the bottom right informing them of _"Dumbledore's Using Our Savior" _in Lucius' opinion. Especially when the photo was one of the usually photogenic man running to hide back inside his school.

Tom grinned. Their plan had worked. Harry was back at school, Voldemort was gone, and Dumbledore was losing credence.

(0,0)

Harry was seriously wondering why on earth he needed to be at Hogwarts. At first it had been nice. Something that he could do to distract himself from…well, Tom. But soon enough he fell into his routine and nothing was distracting anymore. He flew on the pitch, he took a walk around the lake, he worked on his homework, he even explored the room of requirement. All of it was pointless.

His thoughts kept circling back to Tom. Harry's grades were fantastic, actually rivaling Granger's and Draco's. Harry had been back for a month and he had not heard from Tom. He had perfected a move that he had read about in _Quidditch Through the Ages. _Tom's plan was working wonderfully. Eventually though, he gave up.

Harry went to Snape. Something needed to be done. Harry needed to complete his schooling, but he also needed to be out in public supporting Tom Riddle in his run for minister. He had to find a way to do all of it.

He knocked on the door to Snape's quarters and waited to hear the snarky man come and open the door. By the time he did Harry merely moved by him and into his rooms. Snape frowned but shut the door behind him and followed him over to the chairs in front of the fire. Snape sighed and sat down across from him clearly waiting for Harry to start their little meeting.

"All right then. I have a couple of things that I really wanted to talk to you about."

Snape raised a hand and out of a habit six years in the making Harry stopped immediately.

"I want to apologize for my actions when you first returned. I'm sure that it seemed quite strange to you, however I believe that my reactions could be seen as understandable. You see, your mother was my first and best friend. We came from the same village and were understandably quite close when I realized that she had magic."

Harry tried to stop him, but Snape continued as though he had not even noticed.

"I made a mistake during our final years of Hogwarts. I was angry with her for defending me against your f- some students who sought to make my life a living hell. The mistake basically destroyed our friendship. I ruined any chance of repairing it when I told the Dark Lord the prophecy."

Harry blinked but remained silent.

"When I realized my mistake I came to Dumbledore in an attempt to ease my guilt. I swore that I would protect you for as long as I could. When I heard you were dead…" Snape paused for a deep breath, "I thought that I had failed you. Failed your mother. I backed away from Dumbledore. When he told me to kidnap you, both of them, I figured you would be safe for a while. Voldemort was out of the Manor. But then they wouldn't let me back in.

"I am so sorry, Harry. I tried so hard to protect you, I was so worried that I had failed. Failed Lily, but more importantly, failed you."

Harry sat there in silence for a moment and Snape ducked his head and gave in.

"I think that maybe you should leave, it will help you to digest the answer that you were looking for."

Harry gave Snape something that looked like an attempt at a smile.

"Sir. As glad as I am to understand why you reacted like you did, that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. Although it is nice to think that you treated me like crap for the last six years even though I am your best friend's son."

It was Snape's turn to feel sheepish and Harry watched in amusement as the blush spread across the professor's usually pale skin.

"What I came to ask you about is directly related to my schooling. I can't stand the people here! Most of them look at me like I'm some kind of god, some of them fear me because I could be the 'next Dark Lord', and even more of them want the play by play of my fight with Voldemort."

Snape took Harry's remarks as a chance to recover and replied with his trademark sneer, "You mean you would rather be helping the Dark Lord than be trapped here in school with a bunch of students who are too bothersome to keep you distracted."

Harry thought about denying it, but just shrugged, "As I said."

Snape shook his head, "And how do you suggest with fix this problem with your rabid fans?"

Harry spoke to the floor, "I want to take my N.E.W.T.s before break."

Snape blinked and fell back into his chair, "You want to take them six months early? In less than two months?"

Harry nodded.

"Alright then. I'll talk to your other professors. Let's see if defeating the Dark Lord compares…"

The man was then a flurry of motion handing Harry all of the papers he would need. A study plan so that he could meet with all of his teachers to talk about the information. Lists of topics that he needed to be an expert on. Spells that were expected to be perfect and dates that he would be taking the exams.

The door shut behind Harry leaving him with his head reeling in the aftermath of the information being thrown at him. He shook his head and started off to his common room in order to start going through the tremendous pile of paper work.

"Something tells me that this is going to make the Dark Lord seem reasonable."

(0,0)

Tom's room had become a sort of sanctuary now that Harry was gone. Of course, things like sanctuaries never lasted. Soon enough his room was infiltrated by the thought of one Harry Potter. Tom held a letter in his hand as he stood in front of his window.

The letter was by his side as his eyes squinted and he tried to make sense of the owrds on the page. He had no idea how this man figured everything out but in all honesty Tom was not surprised. He glanced over the letter again while crossing his room. When he reached the signature he fell backwards onto his comfy armchair.

He sat there for long moments, with the letter clenched in his hand where it rested on his thigh, staring blankly at the wall. He hoped in vain that the blue paint would give him answers to the why, how, and what if questions that the letter had brought forth. He avoided glancing at the letter again, knowing that he had all the information it possessed. He knew the ins and outs of the letter, what he was missing were the answers to the questions between the lines. Questions that were focused on a certain green-eyed boy.

Tom let his head fall back against the back of the chair. Harry had found a way to leave Hogwarts early. He was using Voldemort's defeat and the consequential fame as a reason, one which many of his teachers seemed to accept. Basically, all of the teachers had been eager to assist him in his plans. Tom was going to see Harry a hell of a lot sooner than he had planned. Okay, a week ealier, but still…

Tom had to figure out just how he was going to approach Harry. He had to do it fast and simply. Harry was never going to take hints well. Tom had to make this plan Weasley-proof. And he needed it done soon.

Harry was coming home.

(0,0)

Harry was entirely overwhelmed. He jumped between professors and the library constantly throughout the day. When he went back to his dorm at night, he would spend hours reading and reviewing the topics that Snape suggested in his millions of papers. His homework load had increased. He was getting all of his work in triplicate as the teachers tried to shove nine months of work into three.

Harry had no free time and barely had anytime to eat. Harry was often seen with a book at meals. His Firebolt was gathering dust, much to the house elves' dismay. His clothes often found themselves in piles on the floor instead of put away, simply because Harry was either too distracted or too tired to care.

Harry could not have been happier.

His insane schedule was actually making him feel so much better about everything. There was no room for Tom in his thoughts during the day. Every moment was spent with an internal monologue. He was constantly repeating spells, wand movements, and potions ingredients in order to keep his thoughts focused. Every night he fell into his bed half-dressed. His body and mind so exhausted that Harry woke up feeling as though he had taken a dose of Dreamless Sleep before bed.

His weeks passed in a blur in which he vaguely recalled Draco mentioning this or that to him. His professors taking his assignments and handing them back with 'O' or 'EE' written at the top. He had several nights when he took time from his hectic schedule to be one of the guys in the Slytherin common room. Including one interesting game of Truth or Dare that he never wanted to talk about, ever, again. He had recollections of furious note taking and an argument with Blaise although what it was about he had no idea.

Then came test week. Everyone else still had one more week after this, but the teachers had agreed to run his tests now in order to keep their finals schedule clear for the rest of the students.

Harry aced his Defense test without hesitation. History of Magic was a long and boring endeavor that Harry figured he did pretty well on, after all he did not pass out this time. Potions was bearable, if exhausting, as it was simply a tedious and overcomplicated potion that required three hours of in detail brewing. Transfiguration was a fifty-fifty shot as far as Harry was concerned, especially since he had accidentally turned his professor green instead of the bird into a blue parasol (he got it right the second time). Herbology had been almost easy, seeing as it used Devil's Snare and Mandrakes as test topics.

Before Harry knew it he was being guided out the front doors by the hands of an overly enthusiastic Draco. With his trunk in his hand he was shoved past the gates and told to go home. To go to the Manor.

With express instructions to 'just kiss him already!'

(0,0)

Tom knew the instant that Harry was back. He forced himself to walk to the foyer instead of running as he wanted to. He stepped through the door to see Narcissa fussing and Harry patiently allowing it. Harry looked up at Tom's entrance and a mile covered his face instantly. Tom felt warmth burst through him and hoped that Harry had changed his mind. Tom felt his face move to return the smile only to see something flash across Harry's eyes and the smile disappear in an instant.

Tom wanted to say something but panic gripped him. He wished that he could reach over just to hold Harry but was afraid of the boy's reaction. He wanted to kiss the lovely mouth until all protests faded but felt guilty about those thoughts. In the end Tom gave Harry a smile and a nod and disappeared back to his room.

(0,0)

Harry was torn when he saw Tom leave. He wanted the man to come back, wanted to go after him. He was so worried about the consequences that he merely watched and hoped. After Narcissa finished fussing over him, he gave her a winning smile and said that he wanted to go rest before dinner. He mentioned how he had taken his last N.E.W.T. earlier and was in desperate need of a nap. She gave him a look that clearly said that she didn't believe him but she was going to allow it none-the-less.

Harry gave her a grateful smile and disappeared among the many halls of the Malfoy Manor. He wandered instead of going straight to his room. He slid among hallways that appeared to be more than ignored by even the house elves as he left foot prints in the thinnest possible coating of dust. He took turns at random, neither knowing nor caring where he was.

His thoughts followed his feet. Thinking of N.E.W.T.s. Thoughts of Draco. Memories of Ron and Hermione. Fantasies of Snape. Study tips from his professors. Wondering about the twins. Glancing thoughts of his parents. Qualities of a good broom. Random quidditch fouls.

And somehow it all connected to Tom's face as he entered the foyer.

Harry wandered for what was probably hours. He was stopped in his tracks when a loud 'pop' dispersed the air directly in front of him. He looked at the house elf and watched as the creatures wide eyes looked around in horror. Noting the dust on the floor and on the pictures and panicking at the sight of dust on the young wizard's pants and shoes.

Harry's gentle cough redirected his attention to Harry's face. The elf shook himself and relayed his message about dinner beginning soon. Harry asked for directions to his room, the elf shook his head and offered to apparate the young man instead. Harry gratefully accepted the offer and soon found himself inside his door.

He moved to the shower and focused on cleaning all of the grime that came with wandering dusty hallways. Soon enough he was finished and toweling dry. With the towel secured around his hips Harry made his way to the closet. He pulled out a pair of oversized jeans and a t-shirt. Before he could even try them on, he cursed the stupidity of caring and slid them to the back of the closet.

(0,0)

Tom, Narcissa, and Lucius had been sitting at the table enjoying a light conversation when Harry came in. Tom's eyes moved eagerly towards the young man and felt his eyes widen at the sight. Tom was flabbergasted. He knew that Harry was attractive, obviously. But he would never had expected something like this.

Lucius and Narcissa seemed to agree with him. Or Lucius did anyway. The blonde man's mouth had nearly fallen open in shock when the teen had stepped into the room. He cast a wary glance at Tom and seemed to suddenly realize what he looked like. The man quickly sat up and pasted a fake smile on. Narcissa however had a winning smile on her face as she took in Harry's new look.

"Darling! You look simply wonderful! May I ask what inspired you to purchase such wonderful pieces of clothing?"

Harry blushed and Tom restrained himself from drooling. He was pretty sure he succeeded. He took in Harry's new form fitting, silver grey robes. Casually worn over a deep green shirt and fitted black trousers. Tom had seen Harry in decent muggle clothes, but had never seen him dressed as a wizard. He had to say that he was not sure what to think.

"I believe I can safely blame your son. And something tells me that he would agree. He threatened to buy me an entirely new wardrobe if I did not go out and replace my 'disgusting peasant wear.'"

Narcissa laughed, "I'm sure he would. Although I must say your taste is exquisite."

Harry gave a sheepish smile, "In all honesty, I would have picked out much different pieces. Draco insisted on accompanying me. I think it was a wise decision."

Narcissa tried to stifle her giggle, but found it was impossible.

Harry grinned and carried on, "After we got these, he actually burned the clothes I was wearing! Then he went and custom ordered another ten or so outfits in different colors. Something about making up for years of torturing him by wearing such offensive materials."

Narcissa had given up trying to hide her mirth by this point.

"Then he proceeded to parade me around like a peacock. I swear, he is the reason that I decided to get out of that school entirely. I had the entirety of the female population sending me 'secret' love notes, and half of the male population following suit! Madness I tell you!"

Narcissa continued to giggle, but Tom was suddenly less amused. He felt something tighten inside him and cursed Harry Potter. Because Tom Riddle was certainly not jealous of a few students. Although it sounded like it could be far more than a few.

"Yes that does sound like him." Narcissa managed to recover at last, "Let's eat shall we?"

And so they did. Comfortable silence and small talk filling the air in turns.

(0,0)

Soon after everyone had finished their desserts Harry asked to be excused. Through the entirety of the meal Tom had alternated between glancing over at him and scowling at him. Harry had no idea what he had done but was officially stressed over it. He wished his three companions good night and strode through the door.

Harry made it to his room before flopping on the bed and groaning. He had hoped that maybe he could figure out if Tom still wanted him tonight, but the mixed messages were making it all worse. He had hoped to turn everything around but it looked like he was screwed.

Harry sat up straight in his bed. No. Draco was right, Harry was oblivious to things like this. He was probably just misreading the situation. Draco had insisted that Tom was attracted to Harry, and he doubted Draco would say something like that just to make Harry feel better. Especially considering how Harry had supported him and the twins.

Harry called to a house elf. He was going to get the elf to take a note to Tom. All it said was that they needed to talk. Harry signed it, 'Yours," and hoped that Tom would let him know. Just as he was about to hand it to the elf a knock sounded on his door. Harry shooed the creature away and told it to come back later. He tossed the letter onto the desk.

"It's open."

The door opened and Harry watched as one Tom Riddle stepped inside.

"Harry? I think we need to talk." He looked uncomfortable and glanced down at his feet.

"Yeah." Harry moved to sit on his bed and Tom joined him.

The silence was unbearable. The sat still, not moving and hardly breathing. Both men waiting for the other to speak first. Finally Tom stood again and paced over to the door. He reached for the handle and Harry realized that he was just going to leave. Harry panicked and tried to come up with something to say. Before he could open his mouth Tom whirled around to face him.

"Why the hell are you so worried about kissing me?!" He snarled from his spot by the door.

Harry blinked, "Well that was one thing that I was not expecting."

Tom's face closed off. Then he stood up straight and moved back another step. Harry reached out and his fingers brushed Tom's wrist. Tom still moved further away. Harry stood and tried to cut Tom's exit off.

"Tom? Tom. Tom!"

The man simply pushed Harry to the side and reached for the handle again.

_"Tom Riddle! You will stop and listen to me!" _Harry yelled through their connection.

Tom froze and turned cold eyes onto Harry, "I rather think that we are finished here. I'll not bother you again, Potter."

Harry felt himself shut down at Tom's cruel words. He shook himself out of it. He dug deep for the courage that the Sorting Hat had found in him and let his emotions out from behind their wall. Suddenly the room was filled with Harry's magic.

Harry watched as the air began to swirl around Tom. The man ignored it and reached for the door knob only to pull is hand back as sparks flew out of it. The man turned his now blazing red eyes on Harry. The young man in question grinned and held out his hand palm up.

When Tom merely looked at the offered hand glanced away Harry's grin grew. Harry closed his hand into a fist and sharply pulled back. Tom stumbled forward. Wide eyes turned to Harry but Harry ignored them. He pulled his hand back again and Tom found himself facing the bed. He turned to glare at Harry over his shoulder.

Green eyes danced with power and mischief as he twirled his finger and pulled his hand straight down. Tom whirled to fully face the raven and found himself forced to sit down on the bed once again. Harry's magic slowly faded and Tom warily moved only to find that his bonds were as tight as before. Leaving his arms trapped against his sides and his feet flat on the floor.

Harry moved closer and stood in front of Tom. He looked into the eyes that had returned to their red-brown color. He seemed to search for something. Harry then pulled back and seemed to consider his options. Eventually he came to a decision and warily faced Tom with new strength in his spine.

"You were right when you said we needed to talk. However, since you seem incapable of having a serious conversation, we'll do it this way. I'll talk and you'll listen."

"Harry. Let me-"

"No." Harry's voice was cold and that caught Tom's attention, "You _will_ listen."

Tom swallowed and nodded deciding that whatever Harry was going to say- it was better to hear it now.

"I wanted to kiss you. Hell I've wanted to kiss you since I first dreamed about you. More so since you started looking like this."

Tom felt his jaw drop and he no longer could find any words to say.

"I wanted to kiss you when I woke up. I pulled back because I needed to know something first."

And the words came back, "Yes. You wanted to know about Dumbledore." Tom spat.

Harry flinched but recovered, "No. I wanted to know if you were serious about us. I didn't want you to regret m-the kiss. It would have been so hard after that for you to pull away. I really did not think I could handle something like that. So I tried to ask, but I was worried that you would say no."

Tom said nothing and gradually he felt the bonds loosen, he wondered if Harry even noticed that his spell was weakening. He waited patiently and just as the spell had released enough for him to move he stood and pulled the raven into his arms. One arm locked around Harry's waist holding them tightly together, the other hand softly brushing over Harry's cheek just like all those weeks ago.

"I am serious. And I could never regret something like this."

That said Tom cupped Harry's cheek and leaned in allowing their lips to brush softly across each other. Harry moved his hands so that they were against Tom's chest and leaned in closer. The kiss grew more passionate as they moved closer together. Tom pulled Harry close and gently bit the young man's lip. Harry let out a small whine and Tom growled in response.

Long minutes past, finally Harry and Tom broke the kiss to do more than just breathe. Tom ran his fingers through Harry's messy hair. Harry smiled and burrowed into Tom's shoulder. Tom let out a light laugh and guided Harry towards the bed. Tom stood to leave but Harry caught his wrist.

"Don't go. Not after that."

"I'm afraid my staying would not be very appropriate."

"Screw that."

Tom laughed and gently disengaged Harry's grip. Harry looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Tom? What if this is just another dream?"

Tom smiled and shook his head at the boy. He brushed Harry's bangs from the scar and leaned down to press a chaste kiss against the lightning bolt and then against Harry's lips.

"That is why I must go. This way I can return."

Harry did not look happy but nodded at Tom nonetheless. Tom smiled and stepped away from the bed. He reached the door and hesitantly took it in hand. He gave a sigh of relief when there were no sparks flying out. He glanced over his shoulder to see green eyes locked on him. He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

"Good night, Tom."

Tom smiled into the darkness. "Sleep well, Harry."

**YAY! Not all of their problems solved, but at least now I'll stop getting threats to lock them in a closet. Don't worry, I think Draco and Narcissa were getting to that point as well. Actually I'm pretty sure Narcissa was planning on it. Hope you guys enjoyed it! Reviews please (Their like warm chocolate chip cookies!)!**


	20. Chapter 20

Draco was most definitely ready for the break. He was lonely without Harry there to tease and study with. The fact that Harry had already taken his N.E.W.T.s had left the school buzzing at the gossip and Draco was suddenly the man with all the answers. He was more than ready spending the next couple of weeks lazing around with the twins and Harry. He decided that he was going to go see his twins. He opted to apparate home rather than take the train and appeared in the foyer.

Draco walked into the Manor's parlor, trying to take the shortest route to his room, and froze. He stared directly at the two people in front of him, his mouth hanging open in shock. He watched as the dark hair mingled as the two cuddled closer in the middle of the couch. He felt his lips pull up in a grin and bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. He watched as slowly the Dark Lord became someone else in his eyes.

Tom was reading a book nothing surprising about that, Draco knew how much the man read even when he had been Voldemort. However the rest of the scene was threatening to destroy Draco's view of the world. Harry was leaning against the Dark Lord, quietly enjoying his own book. Draco knew that Harry liked to read, but it was not something that he saw often.

As Draco watched Harry slid a piece of paper in between the pages. The book was shut softly closed and Harry moved to lay it on the coffee table. Draco expected his friend to get up and search for something else to do. He knew how Harry could get easily bored and act like he was a four year old. But Draco was surprised.

Harry moved back to his spot and curled up against Tom's side again. Tom shifted slightly and Harry gave a small sigh as he was suddenly in a much more comfortable position. Harry stared off at the far wall a sappy smile on his face. Draco watched as he simply lay there trying to wrap his mind around whatever theory he had just read.

Apparently that was something that he was not as interested as he hoped. Draco stood there and watched as Harry's eyes slowly drifted closed. Eventually, the boy's eyes shut and his head drooped to rest on Tom's shoulder. When Tom turned to look down at the raven hair on his shoulder, Draco planned to step forward and run interference for his friend.

He had taken half a step when his world shifted. Tom gave Harry an indulgent smile and placed a soft kiss against Harry's messy hair. As Draco watched the Dark Lord placed his book on the arm of the couch. The older man carefully supported Harry's head as he moved further away. Draco's mind raced, thinking Tom was going to leave Harry on the couch while he found another spot.

Draco's mind warped when the man on the couch merely shifted enough to gently set the dark head of hair on his leg so that Harry was resting more comfortably. Draco felt his eyes widen as the Savior snuggled, _snuggled,_ into Tom's thigh. Tom gave a light laugh and spent a long moment merely running his fingers through Harry's hair. Tom gave a genuine smile as Harry started mumbling in his sleep and reached for his book.

Draco stared as the man cradled the book in one hand while the other continued the stroking motion through Harry's hair. When Tom turned a page Draco realized how long he had been standing there. Slowly he backed out of the open room and into the foyer. Draco called to his house elf softly and gave her directions to move his trunks back to his room and to inform his mother and father that he was going to visit some friends.

Without another moment of hesitation, Draco spun on his heel, picturing the alley near his twins in his mind.

(0,0)

Draco stepped through the front doors of the joke shop and grinned at what he was there. Fred was laughing with a regular and trying to get them to come by and help them test out some of their experimental projects. Before the kid knew what was happening Fred had him signing a page and agreeing to show up the next week for payment and testing. The boy was out the door less than a minute after the quill left the page.

George on the other hand was having a conversation with some kids who were attempting to steal from his shop. Draco listened for a long while and decided that he would never tell George how much he sounded like that howler his mom sent to Hogwarts years ago. Although that would probably be a great way to terrify the boy if he ever wanted to. Draco grinned as George sent the kids away with a firm scolding and several purchased items.

Fred and George were behind the counter when Draco stepped from the shadows. Neither of them noticed him and they seemed to be bickering about something. Draco gave himself a smirk and took a deep breath trying to make sure he would sound as casual as possible.

"Hello. I was wondering if you would let me samp-"

"I'm sorry, we're closed. We have a very important person to go see…" George finished turning.

His eyes fell on Draco and he placed both hands on the counter before he vaulted over it messing up papers and causing Fred to turn and see what the commotion was about.

"Draco!" Fred cried and ran around the edge of the desk to embrace Draco from the other side.

Draco laughed at their antics and pretended to push them off. The twins ignored him and Draco decided to just give in and enjoy it. He wrapped his arms around the waists of his men and leaned up to kiss first one then the other quite thoroughly.

After a long blissful moment, they separated long enough to move up the stairs and into the twins' loft. George quickly waving his wand to close down and lock up their shop. Draco was pressed between the two and felt two pairs of lips skating across the skin of his throat. Draco let out a moan when they simultaneously closed their teeth gently around the skin. He felt them sucking against his skin, licking it. Draco groaned at the thought of having two identical marks on either side of his throat.

Suddenly they both released his neck and Draco found himself pulled tight against one twin while the other pressed up against his back. A pair of lips fell against his and Draco immediately recognized the rough and angry kiss as belonging to George. Fred pulled them closer together and Draco ripped away from one twin to turn his head and great the other. The softer kiss was every bit as passionate and Draco lost himself in the gentle pressure.

Draco felt his twins pull away and they guided him to their sofa. Draco groaned in frustration when he realized that they were once again stopping. The past year had been driving the blonde crazy with need. The twins and he had enjoyed some of the more basic forms of pleasure, but they were refusing to have sex with him.

Now a horny Draco was sitting between his two boyfriends and there was no relief in sight. He flopped down to the seat and gave both of them a glare. His evil twins merely grinned at him and Draco found himself laughing even with the way he felt.

Fred and George exchanged a look and gave a quick nod to each other before turning to face Draco fully.

"You want to know why, don't you?"

Draco gave a sound close to a whine as he nodded his head, "Please?"

George looked at him, "We were hoping you would do it anyway, but we figured we would tell you."

"Basically because we're getting desperate too, you know."

George gave his brother a look and focused on Draco, "We want to make sure we're official."

Draco gave him a look that implied his intelligence was lacking.

Fred laughed, "He means, we want you to tell your parents."

Draco blanched and shook his head, "I really don't think they'll understand…"

"Please?"

"Are you going to tell your parents?"

They nodded, "We were going to wait until after you, basically because our mom is far scarier than your dad. No offense."

"None taken. Some of the stories I've heard." Draco shuddered.

The three laughed along for some time and then settled comfortably back into the sofa, merely enjoying the company.

"All right. But you have to come with me."

(0,0)

Harry picked up _The Prophet_ and took a deep breath before reading the headline:

**Savior Leaving School-For Politics?**

The article raced around the newly released information by some unknown source (aka Tom). It spoke of the fact that Harry was using his influence to better the world. Turned him into some sort of shining hero for the government. They got a quote from Scrimgeour saying that he fully supported and all of Harry Potter's suggestions.

Harry grinned, this was exactly what they had hoped for. He eagerly raced up the stairs to Tom's study. He stepped into the door and gave Tom a triumphant smile as he handed over the paper.

"They did it! I am here to guide all of wizarding Britain into a golden future!"

Tom held out his hand and quickly skimmed the article smiling at parts as he went through. He laughed out loud when he got to the part about Scrimgeour. The paper was soon set down and Harry found himself held in Tom's embrace. Harry sighed and leaned closer wrapping his arms around Tom's waist.

"This is wonderful! Everything is going perfectly. We'll set up the campaign shortly and have me there to back you. You even have the minister's full backing to run against him. It's kind of ridiculous that people have that much faith in me."

Tom pressed a kiss to the top of his messy hair, "Don't worry, we're going to use that to help them. Slowly but surely we will fix this country."

Harry sighed and enjoyed the moment.

"YOU'RE DATING WHO?!"

"Looks like Draco told his father."

Tom laughed and together they listened to the sound of books and glass crashing into walls.

(0,0)

Tom was sitting in his room. With a headache. And a glass of alcohol. He was not really sure what kind of alcohol. It was his third glass and quite honestly he just didn't care. He had called for a house elf the instant he had apparated in. A call for alcohol had been met with a simple crack and Tom had never been more grateful.

He was really starting to regret his no torture policy. His Death Eaters were not disrespectful, but there were a lot more questions to answer. He used his free hand to massage his temples. It probably explained why all of his plans went wrong somewhere. No one asked questions outside of his Inner Circle, and even they only asked rarely.

He had no problem with them asking questions but now all he wanted to do was go to bed. The meeting had taken twice as long as he thought it should have, so he ended up calling it short. Most of his followers had been grateful as well. Tom thought that they probably appreciated the reprieve as much as he did. They would push their plans back a week and then move from there.

Tom snorted. He had intended to walk in tell them they were starting in two days and walk out. Half an hour tops. It had been almost two of incessant questions. At least it was shorter than most meetings, all of the reports usually took three by themselves and new assignments on top of that.

Yes, definitely a shorter meeting.

Tom heard a loud crash and Harry swearing. Without thinking Tom set his glass down and worked his way towards the sound. It didn't sound like Harry was hurt, but that boy hardly ever swore. As he walked he managed to follow a stream of unintelligible muttering.

Tom stood in front of a door he had never seen before. Or maybe he had. But he had definitely never used it before. He hesitated a moment before he pushed it slightly open and peeked it. There was Harry. Standing over a stove, a mixing bowl in hand, glaring down at a plastic tray with disgust.

Tom found a corner of his mouth turning up in amusement. Harry was stirring something while glaring. As if that would fix the…whatever it was he was making. He was curious. And Tom knew one way to end that.

"What are you doing?"

"AHH!" Harry jumped.

He spun around eyes wide. Until he saw Tom. The instant Harry realized who it was he narrowed his eyes and turned back to the stove.

"Stupid house elves, can't even give a guy a warning," He looked over at Tom and pointed a chocolate covered spoon at him, "Don't you ever do that again! I am far too young to die yet. I still have years to make your life hell."

Tom merely smirked. Resulting in a dangerously exaggerated eye roll on Harry's part. Tom moved up next to Harry and looked down at the empty tray that had been the focus of Harry's disgust.

"So?" Harry glanced at him briefly before stirring his mixture, "What are you making?"

"Brownies."

"Uh-huh. And what exactly has this pan down to deserve your wrath?"

Harry glared at Tom, "I needed a bigger one and this was all I could find. At least half of my batter is going to go to waste."

Tom rolled his eyes and waved his hand. Suddenly a second pan stood next to the first. Harry gaped at it for a moment before he started laughing.

"I totally forgot about magic! I was never allowed to use it before now obviously and especially when I was cooking for my aunt and uncle. I never even thought about it!"

"You cook _and_ bake? I think I picked the best person in the world." Harry laughed.

They stood in silence for a few moments and Tom watched as Harry slowly poured the mix into the pans. The batter looked absolutely delicious. Tom was eager to try it and the real things later.

"I actually have never made something like this for myself before. I wanted to and I got these books," Tom followed his hand and noticed the book propped open against a bag of flour, "last Christmas and decided that now was a good time to use them."

Harry opened the oven and slid the pans in side by side. He checked the temperature and then pulled out his wand to set a timer for them.

"Why did you want them?" Tom pulled Harry's back to his chest.

Harry sighed as Tom rubbed his nose into the side of his neck. He relaxed a little further into Tom's arms that were tight around his waist.

"I love cooking. It was one of the few good things I had growing up. A little frustrating at first, cause I could barely reach the stove. But at least then I could sneak some of the food as it was cooking. Plus I got to move around for an hour or so."

Tom wondered if Harry even realized what he was saying. He forced himself to take deep breaths hoping that Harry would not notice Tom's reaction. He fought to stay relaxed even as the anger built up inside of him.

"I rarely got to bake though. Aunt Petunia did not trust me with things like that, and they always looked so pretty," Harry shrugged, "Then I just really wanted to try it. Draco and I talked about it last year and he sent the books to me. Caused a bit of an issue at the Burrow."

"What happened?"

Tom started brushing his lips against the side of Harry's neck. Light teasing brushes that were driving Harry crazy.

"The Weasley clan basically said that I was a freak for wanting to back, because it was such a 'gay' thing to do. The twins stood up for me, but I really don't talk to the rest of them anymore. Tom, you actually expect me to talk when you are distracting me like that?"

"Yes."

Harry laughed and pulled away from Tom's teasing mouth earning a mewl of protest on Tom's part. Until Harry wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck and buried his face in the crook of it. Tom placed his arms around Harry once again and pulled him in close.

"I thought you had a meeting tonight."

"I did. It actually took longer than I thought."

"Draco said that they usually take five or six hours." Harry pulled back so that he could look up at Tom, "That's why I was going to bake tonight. I figured this way it would be a surprise."

"They usually do. This one was just supposed to be me showing up and telling them that we were starting the plan."

"What happened?"

"Every single one of them had a question or four to ask. It was ridiculous."

He sounded so frustrated that Harry could not help but laugh into Tom's robes. Tom tried to act offended but could not help chuckling lightly. He leaned down so that his head rested on Harry's before he realized what he was doing and pulled back.

Harry frowned and leaned back to look up at him again.

"Tom?"

Tom looked away and stepped away from Harry, "I'll leave you to your baking."

Harry frowned as Tom left the room. He always did that. Harry figured that it was because of how clingy he was being. He liked to be held and was probably pushing Tom outside of his comfort zone. Harry heard his timer go off.

He pulled the brownies out and set them on top of the stove, still lost in thought. It would probably be best if he gave Tom some space. He was not used to people being affectionate towards him. Harry nodded to himself as he turned off the oven. He would try to give Tom some space.

(0,0)

Tom sat in his chair. He was trying to read but was sure that he was going to have to read all of these pages again. After a long moment he gave a groan and set the book back down. He would try again tomorrow, maybe then the words would make sense. Tom stood from his chair and made his way over to the window. He pushed it open and stepped out onto the terrace. A welcoming breeze ruffled his hair.

He had no idea why he had a hard time being affectionate when Harry was awake. The other day he had no problem running his fingers through a sleeping Harry's hair. Then as soon as Harry was awake he wanted to step away.

Tom ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it back out of his eyes. It made no sense. He liked Harry. They were… well something anyway. More than friends at least. He leaned onto the railing. Letting his hands dangle over the edge. Maybe he should talk to Harry about it.

He shook his head. That would be an extremely awkward conversation. He just had to try and get over it. Whatever "it" was. He could figure it out. He was the Dark Lord after all. He could figure this out. He would start with little increments. When Harry did something he would try to reciprocate.

That would work. Little steps. A few days and he would be fine. They had only been together for a week after all. It was all new. Especially for Tom. He was at a loss, how was something like this supposed to work anyway?

Tom had been single for… well, ever.

(0,0)

Tom's plan hadn't worked as well as he had hoped. For some reason Harry had pulled back. Tom was confused and he really did not like the feeling. It was something only Harry could make him feel and was one of the few things he hated about being with Harry.

The day after he made his resolution, Harry stopped touching Tom. Okay not entirely but Tom noticed a difference. Small things but Harry would give him a hug and pull back. Kissing was still an intense experience but it was happening a hell of a lot less. Tom was not a happy camper. He was supposed to be fixing it but Harry was taking away his chance.

This needed to change. Tom needed things to go back to the way they were before. He needed the chance to show Harry that he really did care about him. Tom needed-

_Oh, bloody hell._

Tom needed to talk to Harry.

(0,0)

Harry was with Draco and the twins for lunch. They had decided to go to muggle London for the meal and Harry had been happy with the decision. Well except for the upset looks coming from George. They had flipped a coin on who would get to be Draco's boyfriend during the meal and Fred had been lucky.

George's looks probably came from how affectionate they were being. Harry was affected by it as well. He missed touching Tom like that. Fingers in Tom's hair when he was leaning over Tom's shoulder. Standing in Tom's arms when they were talking. Leaning against Tom when they were reading quietly in the library. These were the things he missed.

"What's got you looking so down?" Draco's voice cut through his meditations.

Harry glanced up at Draco, "Sorry. Just distracted."

Draco frowned at him, "Guess you would be. What's going on with you and your man?"

Harry deflated slightly, slumping over, "I have no idea. It's my fault, I think."

"What is?"

Harry looked pointedly at the way Fred's hand was loosely wrapped around Draco's waist, "That."

Draco blinked down as though he was surprised to see the arm there. Harry had to laugh at the shocked look on his friend's face. Fred blushed to and turned to his twin with an apologetic look. He really had not wanted to torture George like that. George gave him and understanding smile. It was hard to keep their hands off of Draco at the best of times.

"I used to act like that with Tom, but something changed. I don't think he liked my being affectionate towards him, he's just not comfortable with it. I tried to pull back. I want him to want what we have together. Now though, it's more like we're just people who snog each other regularly."

Draco fought back that mental image in an attempt to focus on his friend, he reached a hand across the table to grip Harry's.

"I think you are over thinking it. Tom was absolutely adorable when I saw you two."

Harry frowned, "When did you see us?"

Draco gave a sheepish grin, "The first day I came back. I walked into the room and caught you guys in a special moment."

Harry thought back to about a week and a half ago. Meanwhile the twins were giving Draco very suggestive looks. Oh, that day. When Harry fell asleep on Tom.

"Not like that you twits."

"What happened?"

Draco blinked, "What do you mean? Oh, I forgot, you were asleep."

Harry waited as did the twins. Draco squeezed Harry's hand lightly.

"You know, your man would kill me if he knew what I saw."

Harry laughed lightly, "I doubt it. I may, if you don't tell me already!"

Draco rolled his eyes, "When you fell asleep against him, he was actually really sweet about it. You have no idea how much that shocked me. He set his book down and shifted over so that you could rest your head in his lap. Then he just sat there running fingers through your hair."

Harry gave a shaky smile, "I had no idea…"

The twins looked like there world was a little out of balance but Harry and Draco decided to ignore them.

"What if I screwed everything up?!"

Draco moved around to Harry's side. Glad that they decided to get a circular booth. He sat right next to him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Harry leaned against him, enjoying the comfort.

"You didn't, I promise. He's not used to stuff like this, and neither are you. There's no handbook for dating formerly crazy Dark Lords."

Harry gave him a laugh and turned into him for a quick hug. He pulled back and looked up at Draco.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Harry went to pull away but was stopped when George hooked a foot around his own. George gave a tug and Harry ended up leaning almost completely on Draco. Harry glared at the twins but looked up to give Draco an apologetic smile. One that faltered when he realized they had a guest standing in front of their table.

"So sorry to interrupt."

(0,0)

Tom remembered Harry mentioning lunch with those red headed demons and Draco today. He could probably sit here and wait. But Tom abhorred waiting. Harry had sounded like he wanted Tom to come. But Tom had been lost in thought and sent him off with a kiss that left Harry looking a little disheveled and Tom reveled in the fact that everyone who saw Harry would know that the boy was taken.

Tom smirked at the memory as he apparated into the alley by the little diner. It was one that he and Harry had gone to a few days after they had gotten together. The meal had been fantastic. The food was good and the company even better. Tom stepped into the door and glanced around hopefully. He was about ninety percent sure that this was the one Harry mentioned.

Sure enough there they were. Tom's smirk faded when he took in the four of them. The twins were sitting in the back of the booth. Harry and Draco were on the ends. And Draco was holding Harry's hand. Tom saw red and forced himself to calm down. He was sure there was an explanation there somewhere.

Then he heard Harry laugh. Tom started forward trying to keep his temper down. Only to be stopped by a waitress asking if she could help. Tom shook his head and said he was with the four over there. She followed his motion and gave a small smile.

"Oh good. I hope you're here for the black haired one. He's been so sad today. He's usually smiling when he comes in. That blonde is a good friend." She blushed and seemed to realize what she was doing, "I'm sorry that must seem so forward of me. It's just that he is a regular around here and I hate to see him upset and I am going to go now. Have a nice meal!"

Tom relaxed. Apparently Harry was here for him. He pushed his anger and jealousy down. Making his way forward once more. Imagine his surprise when the next thing he knew Draco was moving to sit next to Harry and wrapping an arm around his boy's shoulders. The twins saw Tom and paled drastically. Tom gave a smirk and shook his head.

It could be fun to play the jealous boyfriend. Or whatever they were supposed to be.

He stood next to their table and watched as one of the red heads tripped Harry into falling further into Draco. It was the perfect opportunity. Especially when Harry saw him and looked like he feared for Draco's life.

"So sorry to interrupt."

There was a long silence, then Harry started to babble.

"No. No interrupting here. There's nothing to interrupt. Just a couple of friends hanging out. I was hoping you would come. Do you want to join us? We ordered a little bit ago but I'm sure you could get something if you wanted to."

Tom inwardly smiled, Harry was so adorable when he was flustered. But he was careful to keep a blank face when he looked at Draco.

"I would be glad to join you. However, I think there is someone in my spot."

Draco was out from under Harry and in his own seat so fast that Harry almost collapsed. He scrambled back away from the edge and motioned for Tom to join him. Although, apparently he was not prepared to have Tom sit as close to him as possible.

Harry started to scoot over a little. Only to have Tom wrap an arm around his waist and pull the raven firmly against his side. Harry blushed and Draco still looked terrified. The twin next to Harry winked at Tom. The older wizard rolled his eyes and watched as their waitress came up.

He ordered a burger. Something he rarely did. After all he did have to hold some standards as a Dark Lord. He saw three pairs of wide eyes on him and decided to ignore them because they were not Harry's and therefore not important.

"So. What were you all talking about?" He kept his voice cold and barely kept back a laugh when Draco paled further. He seriously had no idea that someone so pale already could look like he had seen a ghost.

"We were talking about you?"

Tom blinked for a moment, not having expected that. Then he moved his arm up so that it was around Harry's shoulders. Making the young man sit firmly against his side. He leaned his head in so that his breath was hot against Harry's ear.

"Good." He pressed a quick kiss against Harry's mouth and decided he liked that stunned, confused, surprised, and happy look on Harry's face.

"Good?" Harry sounded a little uncertain.

"Definitely good. You are mine, little snake."

He gave Draco a pointed look and watched as the young man sank further back into the seat. Tom turned conversation to the twins and they quickly took their roles. Probably trying to keep Tom from killing Draco. They knew that he was just enjoying this but they were seriously hoping that they were not going to see how serious he was.

Their food came and Tom was surprised to find that he was enjoying himself immensely. The twins were far from stupid and the spells they invented for their jokes were fantastic. Tom asked them if they would be willing to make something for him. They were leery but eventually agreed with a few limitations. Tom could respect that.

At one point Tom started to feel uncomfortable with his arm around Harry. Especially since he was trying to eat with his non-dominant hand. The instant he pulled his arm away he saw Harry's good mood diminish slightly. Tom chewed on his lip for a moment, but then Harry shifted away. Without hesitation Tom wrapped his arm back around Harry, pulling him closer again.

Tom had continued in the conversation without pause, but Harry seemed happy with the reaction. He settled into Tom's side, just letting the conversation flow over him. Tom basked in the idea that Harry enjoyed his company that much.

Tom was actually hoping that they could do this more often. The conversation was good. It was satisfying to have someone still scared of him, poor Draco. The food was delicious and the crowd was open-minded so he only got the occasional disappointed glare when he kissed his young man. Which was the same thing that happened with all of the other couples.

Yes. Tom could definitely get used to this. Well, up until they all ordered dessert. Tom was not looking for the treat but ordered a slice of chocolate cream pie at Harry's request, so that 'they could share'. The twins and Draco had each ordered something, following the same idea only instead of sharing one they were going to enjoy them all. Soon the table was loaded with four desserts all covered in whip cream. Two kinds of pie (Fred got cherry and Tom's chocolate cream), ice cream (Draco had a childish smile on his face), and some kind of brownie (George was a simple guy).

Tom realized later what a huge mistake ordering dessert was. Harry had insisted that they leave the pie in front of Tom. Meaning that every single time Harry reached for a bite, he had to lean even further into Tom. Then Harry would move back to his original spot and savor each and every bite. By the time Harry was halfway done with the pie, his moans of ecstasy and appreciation had Tom wishing for loose robes to cover his unbelievably tight jeans.

The only good news was that the twins were in similar predicament. Although Tom suspected Draco's teasing was full of intent. Unlike Harry who seemed to be completely oblivious to Tom's distress. Harry shook his head at Draco. And Tom really wanted to know what Harry's reaction would be to finding Tom's… problem.

Tom pushed Harry away and pushed the pie closer to the pink lips. He blocked out the saddened look on Harry's face and the knowing grins on the other three and took several deep breaths picturing some disturbing scenes of older men in poses meant to be provocative. Dumbledore and McGonagall killed whatever lingering traces of arousal he had left.

Harry and the others eventually finished their desserts and Tom was beyond ready to go home and finish his charade of a jealous boyfriend. They paid the bill and were halfway to the door when someone called Harry's name. Tom mentally groaned a why me and waved Draco and the twins on in order to turn with Harry.

"Dudley!" Harry reached forward and grabbed Dudley in a hug.

Tom scowled he reached out and pulled Harry back against his chest. He saw Harry's frown and decided that he should give up the whole jealous boyfriend thing, although it was a lot harder when he was actually a little jealous. He kept one hand around Harry's waist and reached the other one out to Dudley.

Dudley grinned, "Nice to actually meet you, Tom."

Harry laughed and Tom let out a smile, "Sorry about the last time we spoke."

"Not a problem. I'm sure the two of you were beyond frustrated. I'm glad that you guys got together. I'm sure all of your other friends are as well."

"I'm sure that they were getting frustrated. I'm pretty sure that they were trying to set us up for the last couple of weeks."

"We were trying to set you up for the last year." They turned to see Draco and the twins had joined them again, "You were both just oblivious beyond belief."

"Hi. I'm Fred and this is my twin George and our boyfriend Draco."

Dudley easily shook Fred's hand and only balked slightly at the mention of 'our' boyfriend, "You guys always have to be different don't you."

Tom stiffened slightly but Dudley continued without pause, "I'm Dudley. Harry's my cousin."

The entire demeanor changed entirely. Fred and George remembered the bars on the window. Tom remembered Harry's mentions of his family. Draco thought about when Harry had ranted about them almost a year ago.

Harry stepped in front of Dudley before anyone could move, "It's fine guys. Trust me. We've made our apologies and we're okay."

"Harry-" Harry cut George off.

"No. He was only a year older than me. I'm sure when you were thirteen you believed everything your parents said too. Leave it. We've grown up."

Dudley shifted, "I feel awful about what I did and I cannot believe Harry was willing to give me a second chance, but believe me when I say that I will not make him regret it."

There was a tense silence.

"Look I got to go. My girl is waiting for me." Harry looked over and saw a girl who looked absolutely gorgeous Harry smiled.

"It was great seeing you again D. I'll call you soon, okay?"

"Alright, Harry."

They shook hands ignoring the hostile looks from Harry's friends, and Tom's jealous glares, and moved away from each other. Tom reached for Harry and pulled him back against his side. He murmured an apology so that only Harry could hear him. He knew that Dudley was a good friend now, and he did not want to ruin that for his little snake.

**Alright! I'm thinking that we only have one more chapter left! If you have any questions you want answered shoot me a message or leave them in a review! I love you all and you have made writing this an absolutely fantastic experience! Hope you liked it! I love reviews too!**


	21. Chapter 21

It was December 21. Tom picked today to come out of hiding. The press had picked up on Dumbledore's manipulations. No one would admit to being the anonymous tipper so Harry had no idea which one of his new group it was. All he knew for sure was that it was not Tom and it was not Draco. Tom would have told him after he did it and Draco would have been bragging about it by now.

But Tom had decided that with Dumbledore's opinions out of the way he could come out as being the face behind the man Lucius was campaigning for. Harry and Lucius had been seen together and separately answering questions about Tom's campaign, Lucius had been at it for almost three months. This morning Tom's picture appeared in the papers for the first time since then. A handful of people recognized him and sent in letters, but the reporters and other people shot them down saying that Tom Riddle was dead along with Voldemort.

About a week into the campaign Tom had needed to change his name. Or rather his identity. He had become Tom Abraxas Riddle. He had taken a Malfoy name and identified as the cousin to Tom M. Riddle who became the Dark Lord. He was a half-blood still. From a muggle father and wizarding mother. No one seemed to question their similarities aside from the few and Tom was pleasantly surprised.

Harry was having some more important problems. Christmas was four days away and he had no idea what to get Tom. Draco, the twins, Blaise, Lucius, Narcissa, Severus, and Remus had all been easy enough to shop for. Tom was being exceedingly difficult.

It had been years since he had gotten a present and did not see why that needed to change now. Lucius had gone ahead and gotten Tom a potions book. The twins had developed a charm for him. Draco had gone simple with a gift card. Harry was at a loss. He walked Diagon Alley absent mindedly answering questions about Tom's campaign. Until he saw the store. That was it. Harry grinned to himself and walked in.

(0,0)

Christmas morning brought smiles and laughter to the Manor as it was filled with birds of all shapes and sizes dropping off this gift or that. People flooing in and out to send holiday wishes to either Harry, Tom, or occasionally the Malfoy family. Something that Harry and Narcissa found very amusing. Lucius and Tom were less amused.

A little afternoon the twins showed up. Bearing gifts and obviously worried about their welcome. Narcissa cut Lucius off when he started heading over. With an ease that only Narcissa could project, the gifts were sent floating ahead of them. Narcissa stepped between them and took one arm from each and 'allowed' them to escort her into the drawing room. Draco's jaw was on the floor. Lucius shook his head and followed them into the room.

Tom smirked and offered Harry his arm with a flourish. Harry grinned and took it with as much dignity as he could muster. Tom stifled a laugh and led Harry into the drawing room. As they passed Draco Tom pulled him in as well. Gripping his shoulder leading both young men through the door.

They found the twins on the couch, Narcissa on the loveseat with Lucius, and a pile of gifts under a tree fifteen feet tall. Harry stood gazing at it in wonder and Tom pulled Harry back against his chest. Ever since that day at the diner Tom had been touching Harry as often as he could. As if that was enough to make sure Harry was still there. Tom had never talked to Harry but he felt as though Harry understood and that was enough for now.

Harry gave Tom's hand a squeeze and stepped away. Tom watched as Harry went and greeted the twins with hugs and smiled at something Narcissa said. Harry then moved away. He sat down so that he could see everyone else in the room. Tom joined Harry on the floor, their backs to an unoccupied chair.

"Harry? Why are we sitting on the floor?"

Harry shrugged and moved so that he was between Tom's legs. Tom felt him settle in with a grin and rested his chin on top of Harry's head. Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Lucius averted his eyes and Narcissa hid a smile at her husband's denial. He seemed to ignore the fact that Harry and Tom were a couple as often as possible.

The floo activated with a rapid growth of flames and Harry watched with glee as Remus stepped through. Seconds later Severus followed. Harry called out a greeting to both men but did not seem inclined to get up and greet them. Severus gave a nod to them both while Remus headed over with a smile to squeeze Harry's offered hand in place of ruffling his hair.

Severus moved to another love seat and miraculously no one said anything as Remus sat next to him. Legs curled up on one side as he leaned into Snape's shoulder. All of the couples looked comfortable and everyone let out soft smiles.

A sudden pop distracted them as a house elf appeared.

"Misky be handing out the pressies for Master and guests?"

The eager house elf was given permission with a wave of Narcissa's hand and suddenly everyone found themselves greeted in turn with a beaming elf and a package.

Everyone waited for Draco to get the last gift and they tore into their own in a frenzy. They were all gifts from Tom. Several pairs of eyes blinked at him. Tom merely rolled his own in response. Draco's lap was occupied by his very own Firebolt. The twins got a face full of black powder when they opened theirs, along with a package of it for them to duplicate and guide books. Delighted to find that it would only stick to the person who got hit with it, making clean up next to nothing, along with books that discussed the properties of more complex potions they grinned mischievously at Tom.

Lucius found a gift certificate to get some more robes, which he accepted with a nod, and a small smile. Narcissa held up a beautiful silver necklace, the charm a circle carved into the form of a snake, Tom told her that it was enchanted to attack anyone who wished to harm her and had 'venom' that would paralyze someone instantaneously. Remus was given a book on ways to calm your werewolf while human and was already immersed in it. Severus had a crystal potions set, complete with cauldron and vials.

Harry picked up his own and found a silver, oval locket with two small gemstones, one ruby and one emerald. Apparently it was similar to Narcissa as a defense and released the same poison somehow. More importantly when opened it showed a three dimensional image of them.

The rest of the gifts were of the same mind from everyone. The Weasley twins got more supplies for their inventions. Draco got Quidditch supplies and books on making spells. Lucius got gift cards to feed his vanity, and some stock in the WWW which was more profitable than he had ever imagined. Narcissa got mostly jewelry with the exception of a vase designed by the twins that prevented theft by creating visions of the owners being home. Remus got books on every subject one could think of. Severus got more potion supplies and a book called:_ How to Teach Potions to Dimwits_. Which Snape apparently appreciated judging by the half-smile. Harry got cook books, a journal, and several different gift cards.

Tom tried to hide his disappointment that Harry had given him a journal. It was a nice journal and translated his writing into parseltongue, but was a journal none the less and he thought that Harry would do something a little more than that. Then Harry started squirming in his lap and pulled away to stand in front of him. All eyes moved to the messy head of hair but he kept his eyes on Tom.

**"Nagini?"**

**"Coming young Master."**

Tom would have missed the switch to parseltongue if the rest of the group had not jumped at the hissing sounds.

"I can't take all of the credit for Tom's gift. Or well his second gift. I asked Nagini for help and she said there was one thing she thought her master needed."

Everyone waited and Harry looked expectantly at Tom. Tom thought back over everything and tried to figure out what Nagini would think he needed. All of the sudden a thought came to him.

**"Nagini? Please say you didn't."**

**"Young master asked, and I told him my thoughts. Although I do find it to be a strange ritual."**

**"You are going to ruin my Dark Lord status, the both of you."**

Harry cut in, "Yes. But it will do wonders for your Minister status."

Harry held out his hand and his invisibility cloak flew to his fingers, revealing a large box in the corner, topped with a giant red bow.

Tom let Harry help him to his feet and walked slowly over to the box. He pulled off the bow and quickly pulled apart the tape. He opened the lid and looked inside. Tom felt his heart squeeze at the sight. He looked over at Harry who must have misread the look.

"If you don't want it then I can take it back. It's under a spell, this way it can't be harmed if you did not want it. I paid a little extra for it. I don't want you to think that you have to keep it. As soon as you pick it up the spell wears off."

Tom's thoughts ran wild for a long moment. But Tom gave a sigh. He had wanted one for so long, nothing was going to keep it from him now. It just proved that Tom was absolutely ridiculous when he had a soul. How was he ever going to run the country this way?

He reached in a gripped it tight. Soon enough the spell was gone and Tom watched it in fascination for a long moment before he pulled it out of the box. He held it tight in his arms as he moved back to his old spot, hiding it inside of his robes. Harry followed him nervously back. Tom sat on the chair and gave Harry a look that dared him to complain.

"I hope you realize that everyone is going to get the wrong impression of me with this. I have one question, though." Harry watched him anxiously, "What are we going to name him?"

With that Tom set the wriggling ball of fur down and watched as he ran around the room kept away from walls and furniture with a little charm so that all of it would stay safe. Laughter followed the puppy as he ran this way and that stopping occasionally to attack someone's foot.

The German shepherd tired of his explorations and ran back to his owners to curl up beside the chair where Harry now sat in Tom's lap.

"It's a girl."

Tom blinked, "Of course it is."

"We could call her Daisy?"

Tom gave him a look that shot him down on that idea. Harry laughed at Tom's look.

"Alright. How about we call her Athena?"

Tom thought it over with a grin, "What do you think, Athena?"

The dog wagged her tail and rested her head on Tom's foot.

"Alright then. Welcome home Athena."

(0,0)

Soon enough the holidays were over and Draco was sent back to school despite his own wishes. The twins told him to go and finish his N.E.W.T.s after all he only had to take them once. Draco had gone because they asked but was trying to get his done early, without much luck. Harry was swamped between taking care of Athena and trying to get Tom's campaign going.

Dumbledore was being a hassle but was currently trapped at Hogwarts. The ring had apparently cursed more than just his hand and it was spreading. Rumor was that Dumbledore was in his last few weeks. Harry was trying to be respectful towards Dumbledore and Scrimgeour without making it seem like he was going against Tom.

Harry was doing several interviews a day for different papers and was swamped with mail. Everyone wanted to know everything about the campaign. It got to the point that Harry had a standard reply that went with everyone's letter, promising to get back to them with more detail in a few weeks. Tom was apparently busy, but Harry had no idea what he was busy with.

The man had taken to spending every night in Harry's room again, this time on the bed. Athena often joined them once the door was opened for her. Every morning Harry would wake with a hungry dog and an absent Tom. Harry thought about talking to Tom, but figured it was all for the campaign. As soon as it finished Harry and Tom could worry about themselves. Wherever they were going.

Harry was beginning to realize that he was actually in love with Tom. There were small things that he loved about the man and larger things that he was annoyed with, but every day he would wait for Tom to come home. Tom always greeted Harry with a kiss and they would talk for a while about nothing. Then Tom would gather Harry up and take him off to bed. At that point Athena was kicked out temporarily and they enjoyed themselves.

(0,0)

Dumbledore's funeral came during February, leaving Severus as Headmaster in his stead. McGonagall stood behind him and firmly supported him against the protesting parents. Harry attended the ceremony and made a speech about the man who had taught him, taken him in. He kept his thoughts pure as they had been before the death of Sirius.

Other's followed his example. People stepped past grudges and admired the man who had always worked for the greater good. He was a wonderful wizard through and through. Harry fought back his tears as he moved amongst the guests.

Dumbledore had been a great man. Even if he did have his faults. As much as the man had ruined Harry's life, he had not done it out of spite. The man had simply been searching for the best and had become obsessed due to desperation. It could have happened to anyone.

Tom was right. Harry was _far_ too forgiving.

(0,0)

The election was held on July fifteenth. Harry and Lucius moved through the crowds with Tom shaking hands and exchanging greetings. July sixteenth everyone sat down to wait. People sent in their selections by owls from all over the United Kingdom. The ballots were all sorted by magic and counted by hand. By July eighteenth the votes were in.

Three men stood on a platform. Harry stood anxiously off to the side. He had no idea how Tom would react if they lost this election. He had his hands clasped tightly against his chest. He was bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He saw a few people staring and a few camera flashes.

Harry forced himself to stand still. His eyes never left the man at the podium. One Percy Weasley. Harry had a feeling he had volunteered for the job. The red head was practically giddy with excitement. Harry had not seen him this excited since he finished his cauldron reports. Harry grinned and shook his head.

Tom and Scrimgeour were standing side-by-side as they awaited the delivery of the final letter. Scrimgeour was enjoying a low conversation with his opponent. He had swallowed the story of not being the Tom Riddle who became Lord Voldemort instantly. Harry rolled his eyes. If Rufus won again Harry was going to move to France. That man was a hopeless politician.

All of the sudden a loud cry was heard from beyond the crowd. All voices went silent. Several cameras flashed as the falcon flew towards the podium. Percy reached up one hand as the bird approached. The falcon dropped the letter into his hand as he turned to fly over the crowd once more. Harry and the rest of the audience turned their eyes to Percy. The redhead pulled open the flap.

And dropped the envelope.

Several voices snickered as the man turned bright red. He fumbled as he tried to pick it up causing outright laughter. Harry shook his head in amusement. That was Percy all over. The Weasley picked up his confidence and stood tall. He held up the envelope and waited for everyone to quiet once again. Percy smiled at Scrimgeour before pulling out the slip of paper.

"The new Minister of Magic is…" Everyone waited as he looked at the slip of paper, his smile slipped and Harry's grew in delight, "Tom Riddle!"

Percy faked his excitement and cast a worried glance over his shoulder. Scrimgeour played his part well. He shook Tom's hand and congratulated him on his win. Percy followed suit and left the stage with Scrimgeour. Tom stepped forward and stood at the podium.

"Witches and wizards of Britain, I stand before you proud to have been chosen, by you, to be the next Minister of Magic. My goals and values have stood strong since my youth and I am honored to find it in my ability to serve you from this day forth. I hope to bring us back to our roots. To show that we are different from our muggle brethren. We may welcome them into our gifts, we may welcome them to our schools. They find themselves welcome to join our community but in return we may ask them to welcome our traditions.

"We are a strong society. We have lasted through one adversity after another. Our people have grown in wisdom and power. From this day on we stand together. We are the magic in the world. Together we can change our world and our future. I hope that all of you will stand behind me as we travel to new ideals and embrace our past. Future generations will look at you with awe when they see the way we will grow. For we will welcome outsiders and love our past. Together we will do more for our community then has been attempted in many decades. Wizards and witches will stand strong. We are not the same as our brethren, but together we can grow to be much more.

"I thank you for this opportunity and together I know we will achieve more than could have been possible. With your support we can become who we were destined to be. We will be the future we want to see."

Tom raised his hand to cheers and applause. Harry shook his head in wonder at the man who had become so much more than what he was. Tom stepped away and moved from the platform. His expression one of satisfaction and hope. Harry eagerly waited for Tom to walk down. He reached out a hand to congratulate him. Tom caught him off guard once again. Tom grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him in close.

He whispered into Harry's ear, "You will not be my secret Harry."

With that Tom kissed Harry in front of hundreds of flashing lights and voices. Raised in disappointment or approval Harry did not care. The shorter man wrapped his arms around Tom's neck and responded eagerly.

Tom pulled back with a smile and took Harry's hand leading him away from the crowds and taking him back to the Manor for a well-deserved rest.

The interviews would just have to wait.

(0,0)

The raven stood in the Manor's kitchen once again. Tom had been busy in the office. Harry smiled as he thought of the man. They had become closer since the elections. It had been about a month and Tom was always home on time. Harry was so proud of his man.

Harry smiled as he stood over his cookie mix. Chocolate chocolate chip cookies! He was excited to eat them and had taken a break from making pies to enjoy the cookies. It didn't hurt that they were Tom's favorite either. He shook his head at his sentimental thoughts and pulled them from the oven as the timer went off. Tom popped into the kitchen just as they finished. He cast a quick cooling charm and took a bite.

"These are delicious!"

Harry laughed, "They're cookies Tom. Not that hard to make."

"Still delicious." Tom finished his cookie, "Are you working on anything right now?"

Harry shook his head, "Nope. The pies finished a little while ago. I'm free, although I wanted to go over the-"

"You can do it later. Come with me."

"But Tom-"

"Please?"

"I…" Harry looked up at Tom's pleading eyes, "Alright."

Tom looked like a little kid as he smiled at Harry. He pulled Harry in for a hug before taking Harry's hand and dragging him from the kitchen and out into the entrance hall. He held out his arm and Harry took it. Focusing firmly on Tom as he felt the other man start to turn.

(0,0)

Tom took a deep breath and swallowed back his nerves.

"Close your eyes, Harry."

Harry gave him a calculating look before closing his eyes. Tom took Harry's hands in both of his and led him around the copse of trees and down the path. A few minutes past before Harry began to run out of patience. Tom whispered encouraging words and Harry took a deep breath. Finally Tom eased Harry to a stop.

"Alright so I wanted to talk to you about this, but I kind of wanted to prove that I was serious."

"Tom?"

"You know how we have been living in the Manor for a little less than a year now?"

"Yeah. Tom, what's this about?"

"I wanted to know if… Would you move out with me?"

"Tom?"

"Open your eyes Harry."

Harry opened his eyes and looked into Tom's hopeful ones before looking beyond Tom. Harry smiled at what he saw and started to laugh. Before he could say anything to worry Tom, Harry started nodding. He felt tears in his eyes and forced them back. He threw his arms around Tom's neck.

"Yes. Yes. Yes!"

Tom laughed with him and started to spin Harry around. When Harry's laughter died down to giggles. Tom gently set Harry back on his feet. He brushed a hand down the side of Harry's face and turned to lead him toward their new home.

"Come on let's go look around."

Tom led Harry up a dirt path. Harry looked around at the yard that was filled with green grass. Two large trees stood off to the left. A small flower garden stood against the house and Harry took in the lovely smell. The house was simple enough. A little big for two people, but much better than the Manor. The house stood two stories above ground and one below.

Harry explored the main floor, finding a kitchen that would be perfect for baking. He moved into a simple dining room that would be perfect for their friends to come for dinner. He moved into a small living room in which he found a couch, a loveseat, and a comfy chair. The fireplace was standing against the wall and would be perfect for sitting in front of during the winter.

Harry followed Tom upstairs. Two guest rooms and a master. He peaked into the main room and found a big that had his mouth falling open in awe. Gorgeous sheets and a king size bed, with French doors leading onto an open balcony. Tom pulled Harry into the bathroom and he was surprised by a giant shower.

Tom moved Harry back to the hall outside bedroom, "What do you think?"

Harry smiled, "When can we move in, Minister?"

"How about now?"

Their kiss was intense and full of passion. Tom lifted the smaller man who wrapped his legs around Tom's hips. Tom made his way back to the bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind them.

**I hope that you all enjoyed the story. I have had requests to continue it into further chapters, but I'm afraid that I have no ideas on how to continue it. I finished up this story line for the most part. I have an epilogue in the works as a sort of compromise. If someone wants me to keep going after that I'll need some new ideas! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews and your support! Love you all!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Alright! This is it! Thanks everybody! If I do continue this story it will probably be about Draco and the twins rather than Harry and Tom. Keep your eyes open for a sequel, meanwhile… Enjoy!**

Harry struggled with his dress jacket, he really hated formal wear. They were dressed in muggle suits for a change and Tom looked as polished as ever. Harry spared him a glare as he tried to get his tie to sit right. Tom gave him a light laugh and moved to help him retie it.

When Harry was looking up to Tom's standards, his…whatever, stood back to look him over. Tom grinned and held out his arm. Harry laughed lightly at Tom's actions before gripping the offered forearm. Tom apparated them to an enlarged closet space.

A wizarding attendant bowed his head to Tom and held out a hand for Harry's and Tom's cloaks. Harry thanked the man before leading Tom out into the main entrance. Harry talked to the man in a suit from by the doors. Tom followed Harry as he stepped into the small back room of the church. !

"Hey D."

"Harry! Tom!" Dudley turned to look at them, obviously nervous.

Harry could not help but notice how fine Dudley's figure looked in the tailored suit. Apparently Tom noticed too. At least that's why Harry figured Tom pulled him into his arms. Harry smirked.

"It's going to be fine, D. Trust me."

Dudley gave him a thankful smile, "You ready to head out?"

Harry nodded and stepped from the room. He met the mother of the bride and led her down the aisle and into the church. She gave him a grateful smile as he sat and Harry moved to his own side to sit with Tom. They held hands as Dudley entered with his groomsmen. Moments later they watched as the young witch followed her bridesmaids into the room.

Harry felt bad for Dudley in some ways. When his parents found out that his fiancée was a muggle-born witch well… Needless to say, Dudley was not expecting his parents to show up. Ever. Dudley had been shocked to find out his girlfriend was a witch. She apparently told him after their confrontation at the diner. After all Harry was a very popular person in the wizarding world for some reason.

Dudley had panicked for a while but had ended up calling her up again within the week. He had felt more with her the past few weeks than with anyone else. Two years later they were engaged and Dudley had been disinherited. Which apparently was not as much of a hardship as he had expected.

At 21 years old he was working full-time, going to college online, and about to be married to the girl of his dreams. The brunette girl was leggy and apparently went to Beauxbatons and had a lovely French accent. Harry and Tom had met with her and Dudley for dinner several times. Her standing had risen quickly in the wizarding world after that. She stepped gracefully down the aisle with a lovely smile on her face.

Soon enough the ceremony had come to it's conclusion.

"Do you, Dudley Dursley, take this woman, Aria Fensworth, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." Dudley had a large smile on his face as he looked at his bride.

"Do you, Aria Fensworth, take this man, Dudley Dursley, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." Her smile was blinding as she looked up at her husband.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Dudley let go of Aria's hand to reach up and flip back her veil. A gentle hand cupped her face as he leaned brought his other hand to the small of her back. Aria smiled up at Dudley as he pulled her closer, resting her hands on her chest. Dudley caught her mouth in a powerful kiss and the room filled with cheers.

He released her a long minute later to lead her down the aisle amid the applause from their friends and family. Harry clapped as long as everyone else. He reached down and gripped Tom's hand tightly as they moved to follow the happy couple out into the hall.

(0,0)

Harry shifted in his dress robes. These things got more uncomfortable every time Harry had to put them on. And being the Minister's arm candy meant he was wearing them more and more often these days. At least this time it was for someone who he cared about. Not that he did not care for Tom but usually they were worn more for the ministry's sake than Tom's. He shifted again and used a spell designed by Draco to tame his hair into a remotely acceptable bed head instead of an insufferable nest.

Tom knocked on the door and peaked around the corner. Harry smiled at him and waved him in pulling at his robes one final time. Tom smirked at Harry's antics and moved behind him to adjust the tie he was wearing. Harry gave a frustrated sigh and let Tom make him presentable.

"Are you ready?"

Harry nodded, "I think I have to be."

Tom smirked and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's mouth, "You are kind of important."

Harry laughed and let Tom lead him out of their bedroom. They stood in front of their quaint little home. Waved goodbye to Athena and Nagini. Both of whom were staring at them in disapproval. They hated it when Tom and Harry left them alone. Tom held out his arm and Harry allowed him to apparate them back to the Manor.

(0,0)

Harry walked into the dining room to find that he was thankfully still running early. A surprise in his current state of mind. A state of mind that only Draco was aware of. He moved up to sit next to the head of the table and settled down next to Fred. The blonde from the trio was beyond excited, although he seemed to still have a bad case of nerves.

Tom sat down next to Harry and settled his hand over the scarred back of Harry's. Harry gave him a grin and returned to his dinner. The conversation bounced back and forth between topics and Harry eventually fell silent.

"Do you plan to run again, Tom? It's been almost five years after all."

Harry turned at Lupin's voice. Several people had paused to hear Tom's answer. Tom squeezed Harry's hand with a smile before turning to look at Remus.

"I think that my political career is over at this point. I've done as much as I can these past years and it's time for someone to create their own path. Besides that I've been thinking a little more about my future at this point and I think going into a private business is a little more Harry and my speed."

A few people laughed at Tom's statement nodding at Harry. Harry merely smiled and waited impatiently for dinner to be over. He wanted to ask Tom what he was talking about. About half an hour later Draco called for quiet and motioned to Harry.

Harry gave him a smile and rose to his feet, glass in hand.

"I cannot believe how far all of us have come since school. My rival in school is now one of my best friends, I mean you guys remember how we were. I'm pretty sure I ended up in the hospital wing because of him at least once a week." Harry paused for the laughter, "Yet here I am standing up next to Blaise and Jordan as their best men. I don't think they ever actually told us who we stand for," a few more laughs, "but we stand for them all. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we wish you three a marvelous bonding and hope that the three of you drive each other crazy for many, many years to come. Good luck, Draco, Fred, and George."

Jordan and Blaise followed his speech saying much the same only with a few more amusing memories about their chosen friend. In all honesty all three of them were sure that Harry was named the honorary best man because he knew all three of them exceedingly well. Especially with as close as they had become the last five or so years.

Jordan finally sat down among a few more laughs and grins from the twins. Draco shook his head chuckling lightly before he looked at his father.

"I have to admit that I was very skeptical when Draco came to me the day after he returned for the school holidays announcing that he was 'completely and totally gay.' I was shocked but I had already heard of his relationship with another male and was not altogether surprised. But of course he could not stop there. Without pausing he continued on to tell me his was dating Weasleys. And not just a Weasley, no. He was dating two of them." Laughter filled the hall, "I went so far as to threaten him with disinheritance before I gave into his whim. However, during these past few years and many joy filled dinners, I have come to recognize that they bring out the best of each other. Any man who makes my son smile like that is welcome in my family."

Loud cheers followed his toast and Narcissa had tears in her eyes as she kissed her husband. Draco smiled at his father and stood himself.

"Thank you, Father." He turned to the rest of his guests, "Those were all of the traditional toasts, but when have I ever been traditional. Here we have one more toast in store for tonight before we are free to mingle." He gestured over to Harry again and Harry looked at him in confusion.

He felt Tom squeeze his hand as he rose to his feet. Harry looked at him in now. Eyes wide with confusion as he watched his…whatever stand in front of him.

"As most of you know, Harry is the reason that I stand in front of you today. He changed me as a man and was actually the reason that I even ran for office. As though that was not enough he gave me the reason to feel. We have been through so much together. From months of obliviousness to months of struggles as a beginning couple.

"Six years ago, we became a couple. Five years ago we moved into our first home. Four years ago we promised to see where we would go. Three years ago we watched our first friends get married. Two years ago we watched those same friends get married. Last year we heard that we were the hottest couple in wizarding Britain. This year I want to take the next step."

Tom settled down onto one knee and pulled out his wand. He waved it over his palm and showed a silver ring with a large diamond framed by alternating rubies and emeralds.

"Harry James Potter, will you marry me?"

The room was silent waiting for Harry to answer as he stood there in shock. Long moments past. Eventually a snicker brought Harry back to reality. His head started nodding up and down as fast as he could.

"Yes. Yes. Most definitely, yes!"

Harry waited as Tom slid the ring onto his finger before throwing his arms around the taller man's neck. He grinned up into Tom's smiling face and pulled him into an intense kiss. The room filled with cheers and catcalls, along with the twins' and their cries to get a room. Harry separated from Tom with a laugh and leaned into Tom's embrace. He rested his head on Tom's chest and let his now fiancé take care of their polite departure.

As Tom led Harry back to the other room to get their cloaks Harry looked back at Draco. He placed a hand on his stomach. Draco gave him an understanding smile and motioned for him to go. Harry smiled back and was pretty sure he floated out of the room.

He rubbed his hand over his currently flat stomach and looked up at Tom with a smile. Tom made his announcement tonight. Harry would make his in the morning. With that he let his husband apparate them home. They would make apologies for the abruptness at tomorrow's wedding, but Harry was pretty sure everyone would understand.

(The End)

(-,0)

**I hope you all enjoyed this I know I enjoyed writing it! I love you all, if you have any ideas for prompts please let me know. I have another story idea lined up and I can't wait to see what everyone thinks of it. Please follow me for all of my new stories and I can't wait to hear what your thoughts are!**

**~DanniCat~**


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